April is National Native Plant Month, as well as Virginia Native Plant Month. The Virginia Garden Club (VGC), founded in 1920, has as its mission to promote the conservation of natural resources and encourage the beautification of the environment. The VGC has identified 12 simple ways you can protect the environment, while improving your garden or landscape. Read on to find out about its 12-step program.
1. Conserve water by watering during the cooler parts of the day to minimize evaporation from heat. Also, consider installing a rain barrel to collect rainwater for plants.
2. Mulch helps garden beds retain moisture, reduces water waste, and suppresses weeds, plus it reduces erosion when placed on open areas of your landscape.
3. Save seeds from dried flower heads, placing them in a cool, dry place to improve germination the next year, and then share them with others.
4. Choose the right plant for the right location, as climate appropriate or native plants will grow better with less work and resources.
5. Consider succession planting to encourage continuous blooming by different plants throughout the growing season. Not only will this approach make your landscape more beautiful, but it also ensures your garden will be a steady source of food for pollinators and other wildlife.
6. Grow your own food. Organic produce is a healthy part of a sustainable lifestyle.
7. Reduce the amount of lawn in your landscape. This may be a hard one to consider, as the weed-free, green grass lawn is traditional in Virginia. However, that type of lawn sucks up resources and does next to nothing to sustain the environment and support wildlife, like essential pollinators. Replace at least some of your lawn with wildflowers, increase the size of your garden, or if you have no idea what to do, talk to a landscape or native plant expert for guidance.
8. Plant trees, as they provide shade; and help purify the air and provide food and habitat for local wildlife.
9. Consider native plants first and foremost. Native plants are suited to local conditions; attract local wildlife, like pollinators; require less maintenance; and are more likely to thrive.
10. Consider companion planting to leverage natural symbiotic relationships to help plants thrive, as many plants are pest repellents. For example, when planted near one another, daylilies may protect lettuce from nibbling bunnies; and basil may protect tomatoes, and nasturtiums protect kale from a variety of insects.
11. Avoid pesticides to create a safer environment for your children and pets; and to protect the ecosystem. Pesticides seep into the ground or leech into streams and rivers, polluting the water. In place of synthetic or artificial fertilizers, use organic options, like bone meal, manure, or worm castings.
12. Make your own compost if you have the time and space to do so. Organic kitchen scraps, dried leaves, garden trimmings, and mowed grass can be turned into nutrient-rich food for your plantings.
While the above recommendations are fairly inexpensive and easy to implement, they may require changes in the way we think about our environment. We hope you will consider at least some of these recommendations. For further information on the VGC, visit its website at www.gcvirginia.org. For further information about native plants, visit the Virginia Native Plant Society (VNPS) at www.vnps.org. The Pocahontas Chapter of the VNPS serves Goochland County.
The Goochland County Historical Society supports the preservation of the county’s history which includes the preservation of its natural environment. After all, the natural environment is part and parcel of our history. From early settlement to the mid-twentieth century, many Goochlanders made their living from the land. The natural environment drove development, as well as individual success and failure. If you would like to know more about how Goochland’s history and environment interact, request a GCHS volunteer to visit your organization for a free program “Goochland History in 30 Minutes or Less.” You might be surprised at what you learn.
Contact the GCHS at email: goochlandhistory@comcast.net or phone: 804-556-3966.