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SUSTAINABLE PLANT SELECTION: THINKING AND DOING
RAY ROGERS
2008 SUSTAINABILITY SYMPOSIUM
CLEVELAND BOTANICAL GARDEN
FEBRUARY 2, 2008
THREE LEGS OF THE SUSTAINABILITY “TRIPOD”:
ASSESSMENT AND PLANNING
CONSIDERING ECO-IMPACT
CHOOSING PLANTS
I. ASSESS AND PLAN BEFORE YOU PLANT
WHO ARE YOU? – forget everything else at this stage
What do you (how many are included in “you”?) want/like? What you can and
cannot physically do? What you can afford to install and maintain?
Make charts/graphs of your time – day, week, season, year, multiple years (we age!)
Work out proposed budgets: time, money, effort
Think about what you like to do
Think about what you must do
Make a wish list of what you want your yard/garden to provide
Which areas do you want to “garden” versus “maintain”?
To which level of maintenance?
low to obsessively high, with examples
WHAT IS ALREADY AT HAND?
Site mapping and planning
Who, what, when, where, why, how, and how much
Do you have kids? older relatives? pets? special needs?
Map existing features first, including structures, hardscaping,
major topographical features, major plant features
Then revisit your list of needs/wants/capacities
Then propose what to keep and what to (maybe) change/install
**YOU’RE NOT THINKING ABOUT SPECIFIC PLANTS YET, ARE YOU?**
Evaluate your conditions: light, precipitation, soil aspects
(fertility, drainage, texture and structure, pH, organic content),
hardiness zone/AHS heat zone, major climate/microclimates
BEND WHEN YOU NEED TO/IS POSSIBLE OR REASONABLE TO DO SO
Stay flexible in both the short and long terms: just about everything and everyone
changes/ages
Abandon things that won’t work – plant or nonplant – or consider modifying them:
Change the grade (or not)
Build beds (or not)
Erect fences and other structures to block wind or views (or not)
Prune to admit light (or not)
Amend the soil (major issues here – to what extent? sustainability?)
Refer back to the soil aspects above
Change the pH (or not)
Improve drainage (or not)
Add organic matter (or not)
Bring in new soil (or not)
Container gardening as an option
II. LOVE YOUR MOTHER
The ripple effect – involving water, fertilizer, energy resources, hard surfaces, other
people, plants, wildlife, future generations
 Will watering reduce the water table/aquifers?
 Will fertilizer wash into streams or hinder the soil fauna and flora?
 How big is your carbon footprint?
 How water-permeable is your garden/landscape (green roofs, driveways)?
 Will your neighbors appreciate a big shade tree or meadow?
 (Your energy bill might, and wildlife certainly will)
 Will existing plants play nice with the new kids on the block?
 Will wildlife benefit or be negatively impacted?
 Will other people need to deal with what you leave behind?
Where do your gardening materials originate?
Transporting materials requires gas, among other things
Earth-friendly practices:
water conservation – xeriscaping, water gardening, shade, grouping plants,
thoughtful irrigation systems (drip, soak, and sprinkler),
rainbarrels, when to water
mulching – organic and inorganic
composting
grow your own fertilizer and mulch
keep organic materials out of the trash stream
encouraging “desirable” wildlife
food, water, and shelter
who does and doesn’t make the “desirable” list?
growing natives and non-natives, low-maintenance naturalizers, and invasives
the pros and cons . . . briefly
attempting to recreate natural plant associations and ecosystems
the pros and cons – consider the points presented earlier
knowing the sources of your plants and propagating your own plants
observing your garden
what works and what doesn’t?
what is problem prone?
what needs some work to make it happier?
using fertilizers and pesticides/chemicals sensibly
organic/inorganic debate here
Some thoughts on Integrated Pest Management (IPM):
1. First comes your attempt at prevention and mitigation
plant selection, site management (sanitation), culture (rotation, timing,
barriers), predators, observation
2. Identify problem and attempt to identify causal agent through symptoms/research
pest, disease, or physiological?
the host/causal agent/environmental factors triad
HOST: which plants? how many? their health? symptoms?
CAUSAL AGENT: what is it? how many? their health?
ENVIRONMENT: current factors? recent changes?
when observed/has this happened before?/same or different?
recent treatments to host and nearby plants
3. Determine level of acceptable damage
Consider what you might destroy: caterpillars become butterflies,
aphids feed ladybugs, many things feed birds and mammals,
and you might throw the baby out with the bath water
4. Monitor progression of problem
5. Choose the control method(s)
Use the least potent method first, then go up the ladder if necessary
physical – covers, barriers, stream from a hose, smooshing, harvest
predators – existing or potential
cultural methods – see prevention above
chemical – think twice, and know and practice all the rules
6. Observe the results of your control attempts and continue to keep tabs
III. PICK THE “BEST” PLANT(S) (or non-plant solutions or combinations)
The cardinal sin that we all commit: impulse buying (and doing)
Remember the process you’ve gone through above
How do you choose? Think of the benefits plants provide:
shade
protection from wind
slowing down water runoff
food for you and others
noise and pollution abatement
blocking an unsightly view
covering the ground
providing a space (play, leisure, habitat) for you and others
beauty (note this is presented last)
the five F’s – foliage, flowers, fruit, form, and (f)ark
Then think about your general expectations
specific or widely adaptable?
low maintenance or diva?
speedy or deliberate?
Then turn to resources to help you make specific choices
yourself
other gardeners: relatives, neighbors, gardening friends, MG’s,
professionals at nurseries, gardens, and universities
reference works/the media (beware!)
printed, online, TV, radio, electronic media
Narrowing it down
Will your choice(s) meet your needs/wants/conditions/budget?
Special notes:
life span and ultimate size
adaptability to pruning, transplanting, and other modifications
Special words on lawns, perennials, rock gardens, collections, cottage gardens
When to obtain and plant it? In which size?
Finally pushing the button
Keep records of your choices (and of conditions, weather patterns, et al.)
plant performance
phenology and its benefits
problems
plant and color combinations
wildlife impact
WRAPPING IT ALL UP: ARE YOU (AND YOUR GARDEN)
HAVING SUSTAINABLE FUN YET?
A big tip of the speaker’s hat goes to:
American Horticultural Society Northeast SmartGarden Regional Guide
Rita Pelczar and Trevor Cole, DK Publishing
Ray Rogers
[email protected]
www.showplants.net
www.coleussociety.org