The Bee's Knees

Feb 15, 2020

The concept of a lawn originated in medieval times, on the land outside European castles. The short grass enabled watchmen to see friends or foes approaching from afar. Over time, they became status symbols among the rich, influenced by 17th century France’s formal gardens of tapis verts, or green carpets. England quickly followed the fashion and from there colonists in the 19th century landed in the New World with the notion of flawless lawns as a symbol of wealth. Lawns remained a status symbol, taking a firm hold with the growing middle classes in North America. (Liz Primeau, Front Yard Gardens) And it continues to this day. 

For many people, their lawn is a source of tremendous pride and the object of great care. But "turf" lawns are not naturally occurring plants — nor do they have the biodiversity science now tells us we need to provide helpful habitats for our pollinators. Those lawns may hold visual appeal, but they also have a significant environmental cost: 


During the summer months, water usage in Canada peaks, and a half to three-quarters of all municipally treated water is used for lawns. To keep them looking their best, many of us have historically turned to pesticides and herbicides that contaminate soil, water, turf and other plants. Pesticide and herbicide run-offs into our waterways can also be toxic to fish and insects important to the ecosystem. (CBC News July 05, 2019)


Now, I have a push-lawn mower for the areas of grass growing in my backyard. I don’t feed that backyard or add anything to it – just mow it – and hey - it's all green. I’m not a grass-hater. 


Lawns could act as carbon sinks — i.e., absorb more carbon than they release as carbon dioxide -if we’d just leave them be and mow them with a push mower. But we don’t. If you take into consideration the amount of energy that goes into producing fertilizer and fresh water, as well as power-driven mowers, well, lawns overall produce more greenhouse gases than they can take in.  (ABC Science, https://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/2010/01/22/2799164.htm) 

Plus, lawns lack biodiversity of vegetation when a diversity of plant life is just exactly what is needed for a strong and healthy ecosystem. Without diversity, pollinators, insects, birds and other wildlife have nothing to eat and nowhere to live. And that’s bad for us. 


"Replacing lawns with native habitats is the best option," said Dr. Amanda Rodewald, a professor with the Department of Natural Resources and the Director of Conservation Science at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. And, she says, the best way to create a native habitat is by creating an alternative lawn. 


There are excellent books available and information on-line about making changes toward a more biologically diverse (and healthy for us) ecosystem in your front yard. I have included some links at the end of this article to get you started. 

What’s an example of an alternate lawn? Using plants that require little water – known as xeriscaping – to replace turf could be a change that can make a big difference to the environment – and your water bill.


Permaculture gardening means "permanent agriculture" and it is defined as working with natural forces—the wind, the sun, and water—to provide food, shelter, water, and everything else your garden needs besides plants and seeds. ... simply put, Permaculture gardening is a holistic approach to gardening. This may sound really daunting, but we have a group right here in Ontario to help with the transformation – big or little - of your garden into a more diverse and pollinator-friendly place for useful bugs and birds to visit. 


In the Zone Gardens Project is a collaboration between Carolinian Canada and the WWF. Carolinian Canada’s network protects an incredible array of rare wildlife and natural treasures from Toronto to Windsor. The organization connects diverse Canadians to healthy landscapes and wild places of Canada’s deep south. WWF-Canada creates solutions to environmental challenges for Canadians. 


I recommend you check out these helpful groups. I myself have registered my garden with them and I can tell you they are full of encouragement, tips and information on how you can modify your garden – by just planting a native plant or two – to tearing the sod up and starting right over. 

Above: My own front garden (seen now in winter) crept out over the years: 


I always saw the potential in it as an actual habitat for butterflies, birds, bugs, toads, and the odd snake – in the middle of a city. I sit on my verandah three out of four seasons enjoying the visitors to my bird bath, flowers, and sheltering trees. And in the winter, it provides seeds, rosehips, hollow stems for over-wintering bees, and sheltering shrubs by the bird feeder.


I hope you are inspired to look more deeply into this subject. We have the power to use our gardens for good.

Happy Gardening!


Some useful links:

https://caroliniancanada.ca

http://www.wwf.ca

https://gardenmaking.com

https://www.plant.uoguelph.ca/trialgarden

https://www.mgoi.ca

https://inthezonegardens.ca


Prepared by Grey County Master Gardeners for use by home gardeners and community groups.

For other use, please email greycountymg@gmail.com

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It’s interesting to think of a garden as the place where nature and culture meet, maybe where they overlap. What we plant, what we think is attractive, how we think about land ownership – these all come from our culture. It is becoming more and more apparent however that our culture is having a devastating impact on nature. We are witnessing an alarming rate of species decline – both plant and animal - in part because we are losing so much of the habitat that “nature” requires for survival. When we add to this the stress on plants and animals brought on by climate change, we are seeing that nature is in trouble. This may require us to look at our gardens differently. Rather than looking at our garden or yard as a bit of the earth that we own, and can do with as we like, what if we were to acknowledge that our gardens are a part of nature – not separate from it at all? What difference would that make? Ecologists describe the parts of an ecosystem as having different functions. Often these functions are related to the needs of human beings. Our ecosystem filters our water, cleans our air etc. Different parts of an ecosystem – say, the plants – also have different functions related to other parts of the same system. If we see our gardens as a part of the larger ecosystem around us would we plant different plants? In addition to how pretty a plant looks in our garden, could we also consider what the function of this plant might be? If the plant had to have a function- such as providing pollen for a bee’s breakfast, or a nesting place for a bird, or some leaves that a caterpillar would eat on its way to becoming a beautiful pollinating butterfly – what difference would that make? Many ecologists are now saying that it would make a big difference. Some say that it would make a crucial difference. There are thousands of acres of privately owned land in Canada that could provide natural habitat to many stressed or endangered species. An American ecologist, Doug Tallamy, is promoting the establishment of “HomeGrown National Park”. A Canadian initiative – IntheZone Gardening from Carolinian Canada and the World Wildlife Fund describes the linkage of natural areas through connections and corridors created by home gardens. One way to begin to think of one’s garden this way is to think of Keystone species. These are species of plants that are especially important to the ecology of a certain area. They are like the keystone of an ancient arch – the stone that keeps the whole thing from falling down, though in nature it may not be quite that simple. Establishing the Keystone species for a particular eco-zone is a complicated process and not without its controversies. These are the species known to be important in the ecology of Grey Bruce: (no doubt this list is not complete) Trees : Oak, Willow, Native Cherry, Birch, Aspen, Poplar, Maple and Cedar. rent source.
graphic of watered and wilted plant

Water Wise / Know How

15 Aug, 2020
We all want lush, vigorous, healthy gardens, lawns and planters, but how much water do we really need to apply to achieve our goals? How much is enough water, without wasting our precious resource? Water requirements depend on many factors: Is the soil sandy or clay based; does the garden have a layer of mulch to help retain moisture; has compost been applied yearly to add moisture retention for sandy soil and add porosity to clay soils; is the flora planted, appropriate for the soil type; are the plants drought tolerant or water guzzlers? A garden and lawn require, for the most part, (depending on the plant choices and soil type), approximately 1 inch of water per week for the water to percolate to a depth of 8 to 10 inches. This encourages a deep, strong root system for plants that will be able to withstand drought conditions and heat waves. Also, plants with deep roots are healthier plants that will be better able to deter pests and disease. When using a sprinkler system to water, try laying an empty tuna can on the ground to determine when you have reached the 1-inch water required. When watering by hand/hose, 30 seconds per square yard is usually sufficient. Shallow watering creates a root zone close to the soil surface in which plants become easily stressed during drought or heat waves. During these difficult conditions, watering may need to be increased, but first check the soil’s moisture level. The time of day when you water is important. Try to water in the morning, between 5:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m. when the sun is not as strong, giving time for plants to dry. This will allow water to penetrate the soil and not be evaporated by the hot, mid-day sun. It will also reduce the risk of sun scald on the foliage. If watering in the morning is not an option, wait until about 4:00 p.m., making sure there is still time for the leaves to dry before night fall. If you must water at night, try to only water the soil, as wet leaves encourage diseases such as powdery mildew. If watering at high sun is your only option, it would be best done by applying water to the root zone via a soaker hose. We want to be as effective as possible when we are watering to conserve this precious resource. Check the soil first by inserting a finger. If it is dry up to the second knuckle, watering is needed. If the soil is moist just below the surface, hold off watering. When watering overhead of plants with large leaves, the water can slide off the leaves far away from the root zone... like an umbrella being held over the plant. We call this the “umbrella effect”. Delivering water to the base of plants encourages deep roots and is especially important for establishing new plantings. Leaves themselves take up very little water, so watch out for possible obstacles directing the flow away from the root zone. Container gardens are a closed system. They are not part of your regular garden’s eco- system and do not have the benefit of surrounding soil moisture and nutrient conditions. They need special consideration for proper maintenance. The smaller the container, the more frequently it will need watering during heat waves and drought. This might mean checking your small pots several times a day during stress times. Larger containers, on the other hand, (from 12-inch diameter and up), usually require less work and may require watering only every other day. Regardless of size however, it is a good idea to check all containers for sufficient moisture each day. When watering, ensure that you see water draining from the bottom of the pot and that the entire growing medium is wetted thoroughly. Frequent watering flushes away nutrients so your containers will need fertilizing for optimum performance. Remember to feed regularly with an NPK balanced product per package instructions. Flora prefers water temperatures close to what they would receive naturally in a rain event. If you are able to water using rain barrels or containers that have been left out to come up to air temperature, it is a great way to water. (Water from a hose can be shockingly cold). If you are able to give natural rain or well water as opposed to city water, this is all the better for your plants as it won’t contain chlorines and other possible chemicals.

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