No matter where you are in your garden journey and preferences, there are ways you can support the health of the watershed! Jennifer Strassfeld, MyRWA Community Educator, with help from MyRWA volunteer Kenna Lauer, has compiled this great reference guide to get you started or spur your progress:
Overall, this guide is aligned to three landscape goals and five methods of achieving them. When it doubt, try it out! The best way to make lasting change for the watershed, is to try new things and continue on with the actions that feel sustainable.
Landscape Goals
Healthy Waterways
Stable Food Webs
Successful Life Cycles
Methods
Reduce or eliminate yard chemicals
Reduce soil erosion and runoff
Favor native plants
Keep some dry yard debris for habitat
Manage invasives
Looking for particular tips? Click the links below to jump to a section:
Caring for the Yard you Have Now
Table: An earth-friendly yard care calendar
Tiered Framework for Goals and Progress
Adding Beneficial Plants, Removing Invasive Plants
Choosing and Buying Native Plants: Nurseries and Databases
Table: Standout Native Plants
Table: Invasive Plants and Substitutes
Providing More, Nurturing More
Starting Small: Ideas and Resources for DIY Planting Projects
More DIY Ideas for Water Quality and Habitat
Tiered Framework to Celebrate Your Good Work!
You can watch the presentation from our lunch and learn on native gardening here!
Do you have a resource or tip you would like to add? Email contact@mysticriver.org!
Here is some planting inspiration!
Planting along a path in a colorful pattern. PC: Karen Bussolini
Growing understory vegetation near a tree. PC: Heather Holm
Accenting a corner with plantings. PC: glennmcculloughwoodart
