The end result is a more productive, healthier garden. Best of all, when the right mulch is chosen, it helps to increase soil fertility as it breaks down over time.

It can also help protect plants from disease and damage. It is a soil insulator, helps retain valuable moisture, and most of all, an incredible weed suppressor. The list of benefits for using mulch in the garden is long and powerful. Here, we use hardwood bark chips to cover our walking rows, and straw to keep weeds out of our growing rows. There are hundreds of attractive native ornamentals that will survive better, and attract more wildlife than these imported oriental species-and it’s just a matter of getting to know them.You don’t have to use the same mulch to cover your garden space. of A., along with species like the azalea and rhododendron, camellia and gardenia, hibiscus, peony, and chrysanthemum. Those traditions were passed onto gardeners in the young U.S. So many of the most used and coveted ornamental plants were, centuries ago, brought to Europe from China and the rest of Asia. “We must now act collectively to put our ecosystems back together again.”ĬHECK OUT GNN’s WEEKLY GARDENING COLUMN: Good Gardening

“We can no longer leave conservation to the conservationists,” stresses Wild Ones Honorary Director Doug Tallamy. The nonprofit ensured the plans are formatted for printers so that users can have the plan in their hands while walking through their gardens. Louis, Tallahassee, Toledo, Tucson, and Washington, D.C.Ī plant list accompanies each design and provides a quick preview of the diversity and beauty of the native plants incorporated within each design. The eco-regions included in the planner are located in major metropolitan areas, including Boston, Chattanooga, Chicago, Columbia River Basin, Denver/Front Range, Grand Rapids, Greensboro, Lafayette, Las Cruces, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Philadelphia, Portland, Princeton, St.

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