Greene Gardens

Garden Design and Maintenance for Denver

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Practicing Sustainability in the home garden

IMAG0143Recently, I had the opportunity to attend a seminar titled, “Green Strategies for Colorado Landscapes.” presented by the Associated Landscape Contractors of Colorado (ALCC). Designed for green industry personnel, it was a great way for attendees to learn how to share practical sustainable ideas with their clients. The speaker, Tony Koski, Ph.D., is an Extension Turf Specialist with Colorado State University, and is well-recognized throughout the country as a leading horticulturist. Tony delivered a terrific talk full of researched-based information on how to cope with the challenging landscape conditions in Colorado in environmentally sensitive ways.

Adopting one definition from the University of Minnesota, Tony defined a sustainable landscape as one that is “functional, maintainable, environmentally sound, and aesthetically pleasing.” The important principles that he included were:

Landscaping in harmony with the natural conditions in Colorado
Reducing waste and recycling materials
Nurturing healthy soils
Conserving water, energy and topsoil
Using integrated pest management
Reducing stormwater runoff
Creating and preserving wildlife habitats

Many of these topics can be adapted to the home, and backyard environment. Every gardener can create a “sustainable” landscape, incorporating some of these principles. As we head into the gardening season, look for more posts on this important topic!

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Truth in Gardening

So many websites to choose from. How can a homeowner know what is proper gardening advice, and what is less than reliable? Do Manti Te’o’s recent travails with the internet ring any bells?

Here’s an easy way to judge the good from the bad as it relates to accurate gardening information. Look for the .edu at the end of the address, or from research cited in a particular publication. Reserved for college and universities, this .edu designation means the information comes from a trusted educational source, and usually has substantial research backing the posted information. Every state has a land-grant university, and most of them produce lots of horticulture information available to consumers. Your county extension office is a great starting point to locate good research-based information.

For non-.edu sites, check the geographical location of the website. Information posted by a gardener in the tidewater region of Virginia may not be suitable for the high plains of Colorado. Weather and environmental conditions differ, soils differ, and plants suitable for the region differ. Many sites offer zone information, so if you enjoy a site that isn’t specific to your region, try to match the USDA hardiness zone of the writer with your area. Zone information is based on the average annual extreme minimum temperature. My neighborhood is zone 5. Click here for your zone.

Gardening magazines, such as Horticulture, and Fine Gardening, have their own blogs and sites. This information is also reliable, assuming you have previously confirmed compatible zone, and environmental conditions for the particular article you are reading.

Take your time and get to know one or more websites before you plunge ahead with their directions. Does the information seem practical, reasonable, and reliable? In the end, gardening is a process, and part of the process is trying new things, taking risks, and making mistakes. That’s how we learn to become better gardeners. Enjoy your surfing!