Grow your garden quotient
“Sustainability” is a buzzword used today by many landscape designers. It applies to vegetation particular to its site, attractive, adapted to local conditions and requiring little maintenance.
“The perception by many is that a sustainable landscape takes care of itself, which is far from true,” says Chris Enroth, an Extension horticulturist with the University of Illinois. “When I teach sustainable landscaping, I ask the audience when they hear ‘sustainable’ to instead think ‘resilient’.”
Enroth doesn’t subscribe to the native-plants-only landscaping approach if the exotics brought in aren’t invasive.
“There is nothing wrong with mixing native plants with plants adapted to your site,” he says. “In fact, that is likely to be what can make your garden so dynamic and unique while still being part of a local identity and ecology.”
“Plants are more than decorations, and landscapes are three-dimensional, not two-dimensional, if you layer the landscape,” says Douglas Tallamy, a professor of entomology and wildlife ecology at the University of Delaware. “Leaf litter from that accumulation also builds a healthy soil and that’s very important.”
Important ways to create biodiversity in the landscape also include: ❚ Planting in layers using different dimensions and plant types as well as leafy and ever- green species. Incorporate year-round variety in every layer from ground level to tree canopy. ❚ Doing your research. “Butterfly bush (Buddleja davidii) is a great nectar source for butterflies but is native to Asia and not a host for butterfly caterpillars,” Enroth says. “A better option would be milkweed, which is a host to the Monarch butterfly, and a nectar source for adult Monarchs and various other nectar feeders.” Find out what mix of flowers, shrubs and trees the birds, animals and insects need in your area. ❚ Providing a benign environment and tying it in with neighbouring landscapes. Lay off the chemicals. ❚ Adding water. “Many birds are attracted to moving water,” Enroth says. “A small inexpensive pump in a bird bath may draw in bird species that typically don’t frequent your backyard.” ❚ Paying attention to trees — including those in boule- vards or public right-of-ways. “Homeowners who water street trees usually are seen in a positive light by a city,” says Jim Zwack, director of technical services for The Davey Tree Expert Co. “Water is one of the most critical resources needed by trees, and growing conditions along a street can be difficult.”
Check first with City Hall, however, Zwack says. Some cities have ordinances prohibiting homeowners from managing trees on public property. ❚ Being cautious about growing one plant species on a single site at a time. “It’s nice to have matching trees,” Tallamy says. “It looks nice, but biologically, it’s diversity that works.” ❚ Planting species that thrive in your location. “Know something about the local biology,” Tallamy says. “Go for plants needing the least maintenance.”
If you create a landscape good for insects, then you’ve created a landscape good for just about anything, Tallamy says.
It’s nice to have matching trees. It looks nice, but biologically, it’s diversity that works. — Professor Douglas Tallamy