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by Katherine Reshetiloff, U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service
Reprinted from The Bay Journal, April 2004
(Conservation Currents,
Northern Virginia Soil and Water Conservation District, April
2006)
The goal of conservation landscaping is to reduce
pollution and improve the local environment. In the Chesapeake
Bay watershed, this style of landscaping is sometimes called
BayScaping.
Conservation landscaping provides habitat for
local and migratory animals, conserves native plants and improves
water quality. Landowners benefit by reducing the time and expense
of mowing, watering, fertilizing and treating lawn and garden
areas. Conservation landscaping can also be used to address
problems such as erosion, poor soils, steep slopes or poor drainage.
Many landscapes typically receive high inputs
of chemicals, fertilizers, water and time. They require a lot
of energy (human as well as gas-powered) to maintain. These
inputs can be reduced through the application of organic alternatives,
decreasing the area requiring gas-powered tools and using native
plants that can be sustained with little watering and care.
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| A woodland garden provides
privacy and a shady resting place for people and for wildlife.
Layers of trees, shrubs and perennials offer habitat and
yearlong food for wild visitors. |
A butterfly feeds on
nectar from a pinxter flower, one of Virginia's native azaleas. |
One of the simplest ways to begin is by replacing
lawn areas with locally native trees, shrubs and perennial plants.
The structure, leaves, flowers, seeds, berries and other fruits
of these plants provide food and shelter for a variety of birds
and other wildlife. The roots of these larger plants are also
deeper than those of typical lawn grass, and thus are better
at holding soil and capturing rainwater.
Native plants naturally occur in the region in
which they evolved. Because native plants are adapted to local
soils and climate conditions, they generally require less water
and fertilizer than nonnatives. Natives can be more resistant
to insects and disease, and thus are less likely to need pesticides.
Wildlife have evolved with native plants and are
able to use them for food, cover and to rear young. Using native
plants helps to preserve the balance and beauty of natural ecosystems.
If gardens are to have the greatest ecological
value for wildlife, it is necessary to mimic natural plant groups
and incorporate features that provide as many habitat features
as possible.
Plants are one of the most important features
of an animal's habitat because they often provide most, or even
all of an animal's habitat needs. Animals in turn help plants
to reproduce through the dispersal of pollen, fruits or seeds.
Consequently, plants and animals are interdependent and certain
plants and animals are often found together.
Each plant prefers or tolerates a range of soil,
sunlight, moisture, temperature and other conditions. Plants
sharing similar requirements are likely to be found together
in communities that make up different habitats like wetlands,
meadows and forests. Matching plants with similar soil, sunlight,
moisture and other requirements, and planting them according
to existing site conditions will not only do a good job of approximating
a natural habitat, but will also increase a plant's chance of
survival.
For a few dollars, the Virginia Tech Soil Testing
Laboratory can analyze a soil sample sent them. Soil sample
boxes and forms are available from the Northern
Virginia Soil & Water Conservation District, at all
Fairfax County public libraries,
or at the local
Virginia
Cooperative Extension office. The results will include soil
type (sand, clay, loam, etc.), pH and fertility status and recommendations
for amending the soil to make it into "average garden soil."
By selecting native species that thrive in the existing conditions,
it won't be necessary to add soil, fertilizer, lime or compost.
If you do alter soil conditions, then select plants suited to
the new conditions.
Instead of isolated plantings, such as a tree
in the middle of lawn, group trees, shrubs and perennials to
create layers of vegetation. These layers provide the structure
and variety needed for shelter, breeding or nesting for a diversity
of wildlife.
To provide food and cover for wildlife year-round,
include a variety of plants that produce seeds, nuts, berries
or other fruits, or nectar. Use evergreens as well as deciduous
plants. Allow stems and seed heads of flowers and grasses to
remain standing throughout the fall and winter.
Once you begin to explore and experiment with
native plants, you'll soon discover that many of these plants
go beyond just replacing worn out selections in your yard. Native
plants will eventually reduce your labor and maintenance costs,
provide habitat for wildlife and create a sense of place.
Most nurseries carry some native plants, and some
nurseries specialize in and carry a greater selection. As the
demand for native plants has grown, so has the supply at nurseries.
A list of some of the many retail and wholesale
nurseries in the Chesapeake Bay region is available from the
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Chesapeake Bay Field Office.
Details on more than 400 native plants are included in the U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service Chesapeake Bay Field Office publication
Native plants for Wildlife Habitat and Conservation Landscaping.
Pinxter flower photo courtesy
of Chris Bright.
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