cornell's take on creating a native lawn, plus more lawn-alternative ideas Hello ,
Reducing the footprint of our lawns has been a key environmental message for gardeners in recent years, since lawns lack biodiversity and involve huge amounts of pollution between fertilizers, herbicides, and the gas used in mowing. But what to cultivate instead?
That
is the subject of a nearly 15-year native lawn research project at Cornell Botanic Gardens in Ithaca, New York (in spring, above), with some interesting insights, and unexpected plants. Todd Bittner is a plant ecologist who, with his Cornell
Botanic Gardens colleagues, began a quarter-acre research experiment back then known as the native lawn demonstration area. “Please do walk on these plants,” a sign on a pedestal alongside it tells visitors, explaining that it’s a test of a mix of low-growing natives as an alternative to traditional lawn. In a recent conversation, Todd shared what they’ve learned along the way.
more voices, and ideas, on lawn alternatives As we all wind down our seasons and think ahead
to next year, I suggest dipping back into some key conversations about the topic of reducing lawn, or at least reducing the "inputs" of fuel and fertilizer and water it guzzles up. Here are some different perspectives, from experts who influence my own thinking: recap: the du ponts' garden legacy It's hard to think of another place so rich
with major gardens as the Brandywine Valley in Chester County, Pa., and an adjacent portion of Delaware. Five of those gardens have a historic connection—a family connection—as they were all made by members of the du Pont family. A new book, “Du Pont Gardens of the Brandywine Valley” portrays the story of those places, and its photographer and writer took me on some virtual visits to these must-see gardens. The book profiles five gardens created by
generations of the du Pont industrial family—Longwood, Winterthur, and Mt. Cuba among them—in photographs by Larry Lederman and words by Marta McDowell, and we talked about the history and the design ideas these important places bring to
life. encore: doug tallamy's autumn eco-cleanup advice When I talked to Doug Tallamy in February 2020,
around the publication date of his book “Nature’s Best Hope,” I didn’t want to go on and on about the advice in it regarding smart fall cleanup, which is one of the ways I know I’ve dramatically shifted the way I manage my own garden compared to 10 or even five years ago. We were looking ahead to spring then, not fall. But that fall, I was grateful that Doug returned to the podcast to do just that. Want to plan your most ecologically minded garden cleanup ever, and understand the consequences of each potential action you can take? Listen to an encore of our conversation. Head's up: Cary Institute in Millbrook, N.Y., and Millbrook Garden Club are co-hosting a talk by Doug on Oct. 27 at 7
P.M. The event can be attended in person or online, and tickets are free. I've put a link to that in the encore interview if you wish to sign up. I did! join me & margaret renkl nov. 7 (+ bring questions!) I share an uncanny set of connections with another writer, Margaret Renkl, starting with our first names (named after paternal
grandmothers we never met), followed by five-letter last names starting in “R”—and that we both write weekly “New York Times” columns. More substantively, we share a strong commitment to managing our beloved landscapes with ecology front of mind, in support of insects, birds and other animals. Margaret’s 2019 book “Late Migrations” is an all-time favorite of mine. Now she’s back with a new one, “The Comfort of Crows: A Backyard Year,” which prompted us
to plan a webinar together Nov. 7 to celebrate it, and talk about the way we garden, in Nashville, and New York State. A portion of that virtual event’s
proceeds will go to support the nonprofit Homegrown National Park, founded by Doug Tallamy, who has done so much to educate all of us about the natural world and how we can all help support it, one garden at a time. |
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