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The very act of gardening brings you more in tune with your environment. During National Garden Month®, National Gardening Association (NGA) encourages everyone to garden wherever they live, and to do so in an environmentally responsible way.
Gardens, no matter how small, are a microcosm of the larger environment. Although what we do in our small backyard, container garden, or community garden plot may seem insignificant, it really does matter. Imagine if each of the 82 million households that garden followed environmentally responsible lawn care and landscaping practices, such as growing well-adapted plants, watering and fertilizing correctly, mowing and pruning properly, avoiding invasive plants, using pesticides judiciously, and preserving wildlife habitats. The effect on the overall environment would be dramatic.
Based on NGAs 2004 Environmental Lawn & Garden Survey, we know that more than 19 million home gardeners currently are or are planning to follow more environmentally responsible gardening techniques. To help these gardeners and encourage others, NGA is implementing a list of environmental lawn and garden practices for all Americans to follow.
NGA, along with representatives from the lawn and garden industry, other national non-profits, and the federal government, has created "Environmentally-Responsible Lawn Care and Landscaping Guidelines" for professional and home gardeners to follow. To construct a baseline of how environmentally responsible U.S gardeners currently are, NGA created an Environmental Lawn and Garden Scorecard. We surveyed 2000 gardeners asking how often they follow 12 environmentally friendly practices recommended in this report.
Unfortunately, the results show that we have a way to go. NGAs Research Director Bruce Butterfield reports, "A majority of U.S. households followed only 3 out of 12 recommended environmentally friendly lawn and garden practices. Less than half of all households followed the remaining 9 simple environmentally friendly practices."
Responses to the Environmental Lawn and Garden Survey show that:
Obviously, with a little effort from everyone, we can vastly improve the health of our environment.
Start by choosing the right plants for your yard. Every gardener wants to have beautiful, low-maintenance plants that fit the landscape. First, look for trees, shrubs and perennials that are best adapted to the climate, soil, and pest populations in your area. They are more likely to survive any vagaries of the seasons. Examples of these plants are often available at public gardens and arboretums in your area.
The flip side of the plant selection coin is avoiding invasive plants. Through the centuries, people have introduced invasive plants to North America. Colonists brought favorite ornamentals and edibles with them, and well-intentioned people established exotic species for food, animal fodder, erosion control, and the like. Unfortunately, since these plants didnt evolve here they have no or very few natural enemies, so they grow aggressively and crowd out native plants. Familiar examples are purple loosestrife, which invades wetlands, and Oriental bittersweet, which overtakes forests. Some states, such as Connecticut, are implementing strict bans on the sale of invasive plants.
In the end it all comes back to your backyard and neighborhood. Take the initiative to follow the 12 environmentally friendly lawn and garden practices listed in our Scorecard. Ultimately, being environmentally responsible is a way to invest in the health of your family, neighbors, and the wider world. Plus, youll be an inspiration for other gardeners.
Even if you dont have a backyard or garden, you can still participate. Join others to help care for public green spaces in your community. Public gardens offer courses to get you out in the green, and volunteer opportunities for those who want to make a difference. Contact our National Garden Month partner, the American Public Gardens Association (www.aabga.org), to find a public garden in your area. Many offer classes on responsible gardening practices and, of course, have great examples of tress, shrubs, and flowers best adapted to conditions in your yard or neighborhood.
Visit our National Garden Month Web site (www.nationalgardenmonth.org) for more ecologically friendly landscape tips.