Conservation Gardening

This may be one of the most over-used and misunderstood terms in common usage today. For our purposes, we mean eliminating unsustainable practices, like the American lawn, reducing or eliminating the consumption of fossil fuels, eliminating the use of chemical toxins (fertilizers, herbicides, pesticides), reducing the need for irrigation, managing rain water where it falls, using local and recycled materials, reducing soil erosion, managing leaves and other plant debris on-site, and choosing locally appropriate materials.

There is an old gardening maxim that states "feed the soil, not the plants," which illuminates the priority of healthy soil. Composting yard waste and kitchen scraps keeps these items out of landfills and feeds the soil. There are millions of organisms in the soil food web which are critical to healthy plants and the health of other wildlife.

Our current development and construction practices destroy topsoil either by removal or compaction. Topsoil erosion is a serious problem and petroleum-based fertilizers, pesticides and fertilizers kill all of the organisms that keep the soil healthy and productive.

Conservation Gardeners play an important role in protecting the health of our topsoil and preventing its erosion.

Some ecologists have said that the next wars will be fought for water, not oil. Conservation Gardening stresses the use of locally native plants which are adapted to local conditions, and thus do not require supplemental watering.

In the U.S., 30% of potable water on the East Coast, and 60% on the West Coast is used for irrigation, mostly for lawn irrigation and agriculture. As many residents of southern California and Arizona already know, there is not enough clean water available in these areas for drinking and cooking, let alone watering the lawn. Continued unsustainable use of clean water is already causing serious problems in the southwest, and this pattern is only expected to worsen as time goes by.

Managing rainwater on-site can produce a supply of water for irrigation so that irrigation with drinking water is not necessary. Green roofs, rain gardens, and rain barrels can slow the flow of rainwater into stormwater systems and streams and help prevent flooding.

The native insects, birds, and other animals of this country co-evolved with the native plants indigenous to this land. Many native insects are specialists whose lives are dependent on one or a very few species of native plants. Landscapers and nurseries for years have thrived on introducing their clients to the newest plants from abroad. A landscape devoid of native plants will also be devoid of native insects, and therefore birds and other animals as well. Many of these introduced plants have escaped the garden environment and are now wreaking havoc in natural areas. These invasive plants out-compete native plants for water and space and are overwhelming and shutting out native plants.

The majority of my time (and therefore the bulk of what my clients paid me) in various gardens in which I worked was spent removing invasive plants. As a matter of fact, the removal, control, and eradication of invasive plants are a huge expense for many communities, states, and the federal government. Who pays these bills? Taxpayers do. This means that a large amount of our tax dollars is being spent trying to control invasive species. In the United States, the estimated cost of controlling invasive species is $125 billion per year, introduced plants cost approximately $23.4 billion in annual crop losses, and invasive species now occupy more than 100 million acres and are spreading at the rate of 3 million acres every year.

Many of these out-of-control plants have been introduced by the horticultural trade for use in our gardens. Our desire to be unique, to possess something new, has created a vast market for the importation of exotic species. Some of these plants have been used in gardens for more than 100 years prior to them escaping from our gardens, becoming invasive, and consuming our wild places. The fact that some of these species have been in cultivation in our gardens for so many years before they escaped and became invasive makes the importation of more and more exotic species a scary concept. How do we know which plant will be named the next noxious pest? Do you want to be responsible for the next invasion?

We are dependent on insects for many ecosystem services such as pollination, control of other pest insects, decomposition of wastes, and transforming the energy of plants into high-quality protein usable by other species for their growth and reproduction. Healthy populations of birds, amphibians, and small mammals are dependent upon healthy populations of native insects as their primary food source.

The interaction between insects and plants is an amazing process. Some of these mutualisms have become so specialized that some insects are unable to survive without one particular plant (and vice versa).

Conservation Gardeners can make a huge impact on preserving the ecosystem functions performed by insects by discontinuing the use of herbicides and using native plants in our landscapes

The recent news about colony collapse disorder in honey bee populations has drawn additional attention to the pervasive decline of native pollinators. Without pollination, much of our food supply is in jeopardy. In fact, more than one third of every thing we eat and drink is dependent on pollination.

Private landowners can take many steps to provide for the needs of these pollinators, the planting of native plants being number one. Some of our native plants will become extinct without the pollination service of their co-evolved pollinator. Many flowering plant species are declining and this is in part due to declines in pollinator populations.

Many gardeners have become interested in butterfly gardens, but most of the literature available on this subject stresses nectar plants (many of them exotic) and not as much the fact that each species of butterfly is dependent on one species (or one family) of plant for use as a host on which to lay their eggs. Conservation must include knowledge of the entire life cycle of butterflies in order to provide for all of their needs and contribute to their survival.

Many butterflies are now in danger because of habitat loss. Conservation Gardeners can help alleviate this problem by creating welcoming habitats for these winged beauties on their properties.

The amazing migration of the Monarch butterfly from as far away as Canada and across the U.S. to its wintering sites in the mountains of Mexico is one of the wonders of the natural world. However, this migration has been listed as an endangered phenomenon because of habitat loss both in Mexico and in the U.S. Conservation Gardeners can create Monarch waystations to support the Monarch on their journey by planting milkweed for these butterflies to lay their eggs and also by planting a wide variety of season-long nectar producing plants.

In a recent report by the Department of the Interior, Secretary Salazar announced that more than one third of U.S. birds are in trouble.

Many migratory birds are in trouble, due mostly to habitat loss, fragmentation, and degradation, both here and on their wintering grounds. In this country, we spend billions of dollars on bird feeders, bird houses, and bird seed, but this may be money misspent in that more importantly, we need to provide habitat which includes food from native plants, shelter in the form of conifers and shrubs, water, and safe places to raise their young.

Yes, keep your feeders, but they alone are not enough. You also need to work on creating welcoming habitat with native plantings of fruiting shrubs, nectar for hummingbirds, and seed producing flowers. Native plants are critical because they are used by native insects. No matter what they may eat as adults, almost all land birds need insects to feed their young.

If you are a coffee drinker, make sure you purchase certified organic, shade-grown, fair trade coffee. Coffee grown in this manner protects critical wintering habitat for some of our favorite birds: orioles, tanagers, warblers, and others.

Amphibians, due to their life history traits of interaction with all parts of the environment, from fresh water through upland elements, seem to be early warning indicators of unhealthy ecosystems. Unfortunately, many species of amphibians, including frogs, toads and salamanders are in decline due to habitat loss, fragmentation, and destruction as well as poisoning, the effects of global climate change, and UVB radiation. With proper understanding of their total life cycle, private landowners can provide many elements necessary for amphibian survival.

Since most amphibians need water at least in some portions of their lives, the first order of business is to install a garden pond in a sunny location. Flexible or rigid liners work fine as long as there is some way for the amphibians to get in and out, such as gently sloping sides or the placement of rocks or logs to allow access.

Cover can be provided by planting native emergent plants around the pond edges. It is important to use native plants because the primary food of adult amphibians is insects. Native insects may not be attracted to non-native plants. Some of these plants should be species that attract night-flying moths as toads are nocturnal feeders.

Amphibians or their larvae may winter over in the pond. For this reason, it is important to allow the accumulated leaf litter to remain so that these species can burrow into it. The installation of a pond deicer will keep a small hole in winter ice to prevent the loss of all oxygen during the colder months.

Most importantly, do not use pesticides, herbicides, or synthetic fertilizers. Amphibians breathe through their porous skin and are highly susceptible to these chemicals, which can cause skin lesions, disease, and death. If you leave the leaf litter in place, that will provide all of the nutrition necessary for your garden.

While large mammals require much more space than may be available on private land, properly managed corridors may enable mammals to find safe passage from one reserve to another. Many smaller mammals are important links in the food web and provide many services as well. Proper attention to their needs is easily accomplished on smaller parcels of land. Some species of special concern are black-footed ferrets, many mice, flying squirrels, most species of bats, and prairie dogs.

Conservation Gardening involves awareness and integration of all of these issues and the desire to help wildlife by making our properties more hospitable to them. We can choose to become stewards of our land, managing it to increase biodiversity, contribute to ecosystem services, and conserve natural resources.