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A Step-by-Step Guide
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“…[T]hrough
the prevailing practices of design and maintenance, humans have
converted the landscape, which in nature is the source of life, into a
net ecological and economic liability requiring a large and widespread
infrastructure of life support, continuously and endlessly consuming
nonrenewable resources and costing a great deal of money."
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Quoted
from "Landscape: Source of Life or Liability" by John Tillman Lyle
(in Reshaping the Built Environment)
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Now it's time to shift our landscaping
practices to something more sustainable, something more wholesome.
Using
information from various gardening guides, I have outlined some basic
steps to starting a natural garden. Please refer to the Recommended Reading and Links pages
for sources with more detailed and
project-specific
information.
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Decide what you want
Think
about what you'd like to see in your yard and what you'd like to use it
for. Make
lists and sketches of the things you value in your current yard and
those things you wish you had. Consider open spaces and privacy, play
spaces or reading spots, and birds and other wildlife you'd like in
your yard.
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Determine land type
Map different environments in your
yard, categorizing by:
- landscape characteristics
(topography, water,
soil)
- existing (built) features
(utilities, patios,
downspouts)
- combination characteristics
(sun, shade, moisture levels)
Watch especially for sunny/shady
spots and wet/dry areas, get your soil tested for type and pH, and
identify existing plants on site.
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Map it out
Use
your map and lists to locate the garden, using natural features as
guides.
Also mark which plants you'd like to
keep and which should be replaced.
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Select the plants
you'd like to grow.
Look
at native plant identification books and seed and nursery catalogs (plants are easier for starting your garden than seeds) and
contact your local native plant society. Local
growers also will have tips
about planting, transplanting and care, or ideas about companion
plants.
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Don't
steal!
Make sure that you use only nursery-propagated stock; threatened
species are even more threatened if you come by wanting to "pirate"
native plants and seeds from the wild.
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Design your garden
Think
about colors and plant type. The layout should look 'natural', so study
nature a bit, and see how things look in the wild. Use curves and
clusters. Be creative!
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Make a maintenance
plan
Some
plantings will need some extra attention for a few seasons
before they are established.
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Be neighborly
Understand
that people have different tastes when it comes to landscaping and lawn
care. Most people, however, seem to value some sort of orderliness when
it comes to gardens; one way to show this is to create borders and add
some human touches, like bird feeders, benches, stone paths, etc.
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Going Native Sheet #3 Homeowner’s Series
and Daniels 1995, Wasowski 2000 |
See some native plants of Minnesota
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