EcoBlog
The latest thinking on ecological landscapes. Useful tips to improve our environment
Earth Day Resolutions: Top 10 Tips for an EcoBeneficial Garden
Here are some easy ways to increase the health of the ecosystem in your landscape. If you have more tips, please let us know.
1) Reduce or eliminate your lawn – it’s an ecological desert.
2) Focus on increasing the health of your soil – it’s filled with life! Compost is king for many soils, not fertilizer.
3) Eliminate synthetic pesticides, herbicides and fungicides. Use organic counterparts sparingly, and carefully, if at all.
4) Support beneficial insects with appropriate native plantings. They are nature’s pest control.
5) Enrich the ecosystem in your yard by planting a diversity of native plants. Bio-diverse landscapes are more resistant to pests, diseases, and extreme weather events.
6) Plant the right plant in the right place. Don’t put sun-loving plants in the shade!
7) Remove invasive plants and replace them with regionally native plants.
8) Emulate nature in your garden – use local wild areas as your reference.
9) Tolerate some messiness in your garden to support wildlife (check out all the critters living under a dead log – they are part of a balanced ecosystem).
10) Plant more native plants! They have co-evolved with other living things in your ecosystem and support them.
Happy Earth Day from Kim Eierman at Ecobeneficial!
Photo: Question Mark Butterfly
Photo credit: Flickr_Care_SMC
www.flickr.com/photos/75491103@N00/7104359339/
More from EcoBlog
The Dirt on Worms: Friend or Foe?
That seemingly harmless creature, the earthworm, revered so long as our ally in the garden, has become a foe in our forests. Surprisingly, earthworms are not native to the Northeastern United States. Glaciers in the Pleistocene period wiped out native earthworms in most of the Northern Continental U.S. Explorers and…
Exploring Native Plant Superstars with Dr. Doug Tallamy
Some native plants are true workhorses in the landscape providing a wide array of benefits to your ecosystem, while adding beauty to your landscape. One such terrific plant is Coral Honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervirens). There aren’t many native plants that bloom from spring through fall – this one does. While visiting…
Latest Research on Honey Bee Deaths: What Does it Mean for EcoBeneficial Gardeners?
A new research study was released this week that points to a variant of Tobacco Ringspot Virus as a possible culprit in the phenomenon known as Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD). The study was conducted by a group of researchers from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Chinese Academy of Agricultural…