Turn Crispy Lawns Into Thriving
Habitats
Discover the Benefits of Bayscaping
Tired of your boring old lawn? Frustrated with cutting it every week
and watering it every day, and then having it STILL get brown and crispy
in the summer?
Don’t despair—you are not alone. There are approximately 50 million
acres of lawn in the United States! Conventional lawns and gardens are
high-maintenance, receiving massive inputs of pesticides, fertilizers,
water and time.
There is a low-maintenance, high-enjoyment alternative. In this
geographic area it is called bayscaping because of its reduced impact on
the Chesapeake Bay.
Bayscaping
What is a bayscape, you ask? As the Chesapeake Bay Foundation states on
their website, “Simply, a BayScape is a beautiful landscape, planted and
maintained to benefit people, the local environment, and the Chesapeake
Bay.”
Creating bayscapes in the Chesapeake Bay watershed helps improve local
streams and waterways, the bay and the local habitats. The Chesapeake
Bay watershed consists of all areas that drain into the Chesapeake Bay,
and includes parts of six states (New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland,
Delaware, Virginia and West Virginia) and the District of Columbia.
Benefits of Native Plants
Bayscaping focuses on the use of native plants, ones that naturally
occur in the region in which they evolved. Using native plants helps
preserve the balance and beauty of natural ecosystems.
When you use indigenous plants, making sure the existing site conditions
are appropriate, you will increase the chances that the plants will
thrive at your site. Native plants generally require less watering and
fertilizing than introduced species do because they are adapted to local
soils and climate. They are also more resistant to insects and disease.
Benefits for Wildlife
All living creatures have three basic requirements: food, water and
shelter. Since a maintained lawn provides none of these, lawn does not
make good habitat for wildlife, including birds and beneficial insects.
When we replace lawn area with a variety of trees, shrubs and
perennials, these plants provide food and shelter for a variety of
wildlife.
When planting for wildlife, select the true species, rather than a
variety cultivated for human preferences (changing bloom color or size,
for example). True species evolved through use by the native and
migratory wildlife.
Water Quality and Quantity
Bayscaping also has a positive impact on water quality by reducing the
amount of chemicals and water used, as well as water runoff.
When it rains, excess lawn and garden chemicals wash out into local
waterways, with negative impacts on everything downstream as they work
their way into the Chesapeake Bay. This water is also generally a higher
temperature than water that has trickled slowly into surface waters
through natural areas.
Deep-rooted plants in a bayscape are able to make better use of rain
water than typical lawn grasses, reducing runoff and requiring little or
no watering once established. They are also better at trapping and
removing nitrogen and pollutants so that they are not washed into the
waterways.
Time Savings
Once established, bayscaped gardens require less regular maintenance
than conventional lawns and gardens, saving both time and money.
The beneficial principles of bayscaping are not diminished by not living
in this geographic area. They have been successfully applied in many
other regions, and are referred to by a variety of terms, including
xeriscaping, beneficial landscaping and conservation landscaping.
For More Information
Chesapeake Bay Foundation
1108 E. Main St., Suite 1600, Richmond, VA 23219 , 804-780-1392
www.fws.gov/chesapeakebay/index.html
Website includes lists of native plant suggestions.
Virginia Garden Festival
September 22, 9 a.m.–5 p.m.
Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden
1800 Lakeside Ave.
www.virginiagardening.com/virginiagardenfestival.htm
Brent Heath of Brent and Becky’s Bulbs will present “Bayscaping with
Bulbs” at the festival. Also, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation will have a
booth at the festival with a variety of information on Bay-friendly
landscaping, state of the bay, river/bay pollution problems, and what
people can do to help.
Festival admission and parking are free.
Marie Gardner has an M.S. in biology and a Ph.D.
in education and is a Virginia Master Gardener. Email suggestions for
future columns to MGardner@vcu.edu. Please include "garden column
suggestion" in the subject line.
