Environmentally Friendly Yard Alternatives

Xeriscaping?

Xeriscaping is the art of creating a land-

scape with the goal of reducing water us-

age through proper plant placement and

the use of native and drought- tolerant

plants. Its’ goal is to reduce water-use, with

the positive side-effect of less lawn-

maintenance work.

About raingardening, native landscaping and xeriscaping:

McHenry Count Water Resources: http://www.co.mchenry.il.us/common/countyDpt/WaterRes/default.asp

The Wildflower Preservation and Propagation Committee:

TheWPPC.org

Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources: www.dnr.state.wi.us/org/water/wm/dsfm shore/raingarden.htm

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency: www.epa.gov/greenacres/nativeplants/factsht.html

information about the Xeriscape Principles: (NOT: Flowers!)

www.water/denver.co.gov/cons_xeriscape/xeriscape/xeriscapeprinciples.html

Seed Resource:

Prairie Moon Nursery:

www.prairiemoon.com

Native trees, shrubs, and plants:

Possibility Place Nursery

www.possibilityplace.com Natural and drought resistant plants: IL-NRCS Native Plant Guide:

http://www.il.nrcs.usda.gov/technical/plants/npg/index.html

IL-Prairie Wildflowers of Illinois: http://www.illinoiswildflowers.info

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION:

A rain garden is a shallow depression planted with native plants. Rain gardens use and control storm water runoff. They filter pollutants and return moisture to the water cycle via transpiration and evapora-tion. They improve the soils ability to ab-sorb water, they remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere AND they provide food, shelter and habitat for birds, butter-flies and many beneficial insects.

Raingardening!

Environmentally friendly Yard-Alternatives

Native plants provide a beautiful, hardy, drought resistant, low maintenance landscape while benefiting the environment

Native plants do not require fertilizer Native plants require fewer pesticides than lawns Native plants require less water than lawns Native plants help reduce air pollution. Native plants do not require mowing. Gas powered garden tools emit 5% of the nation’s air pollution. Native plants sequester, or remove, carbon from the air. Native plants provide shelter and food for wildlife Native plants promote biodiversity and stewardship of our natural heritage

Why should I Use Native Plants?

McHenry County Government Water Resource

2200 N Seminary Ave

Woodstock, IL 60098

Phone: 815.334.4298

Fax: 815.334.4629

Email:[email protected]

Website: www.mchenryh2o.com

McHenry County Government

Water Resources

Contrary to popular belief, they are not confined to cacti and succulents, but also include a wide variety of beautiful trees,

shrubs, vines, perennials, and groundcovers.

Threadleaf Coreopsis (Coreopsis verti-cillata): is a perennial that will reach 18 to 24 inches in height. It has yellow, daisy-like flowers that last from late spring to late summer. It grows best in a dry, full-sun area.

1 Planning and Design

Plan your landscape. A plan provides direction and guidance and will ensure that water-conserving techniques are coordi-nated and implemented in the landscape. Proper planning saves time and effort spent on maintenance.

2 Soil Improvements Have your soil tested before you start planting. Depending on your soil, improve it by adding organic matter such as compost or well-aged manure. If your landscaping with native plants, it might not take much to improve the soil.

3 Efficient Irrigation Water should be applied efficiently, through the use of drip irrigation or soaker hoses, where possible. Be sure that drought-tolerant plants get no more water than they need. If you want to install an irrigation system, plan this at the same time you design your landscape.

4 Zoning of Plants Different areas in your yard get different amounts of light, wind, and moisture. Group plants together with similar light and water requirements and place them in an area in your yard which matches these requirements. Rule of thumb: Put high water-use plantings in low lying drain-age areas, near downspouts, or in the shade of other plants. Put higher water-use plants in areas where it is easy to water.

5 Mulching Mulch is essential for gardening. It keeps plant roots cool, prevents soil from crusting, minimizes evaporation, and re-

duces weed growth.

6 Turf Alternatives Keep lawns small, to the size needed for actual use. Use drought-tolerant turf-grass species where turf is needed (children's play areas, pet use areas, etc.). Fill the remaining landscape with borders and islands of more water-efficient ornamental plants.

7 Appropriate Maintenance During the first two years your Xeriscape will need proper irrigation, pruning, fertilizing and pest control, similar to a traditional landscape. But as plants mature they will crowd out the weeds, need less water, and maintenance time will de-crease. With a well cared for garden you can sit back and enjoy it!

For more information about the Xeriscape Principles: www.water/denver.co.gov/cons_xeriscape/xeriscape/

xeriscapeprinciples.html

New Jersey Tea (Ceanothus ameri-canus): Is an attractive, small, rounded woody shrub with small plumes of fluffy white flowers that bloom in early to mid-summer. It grows best in well-drained aver-age garden soil with full sun or partial shade but will tolerate dry, harsh conditions. It is a larval food source for the mottled Dusky-wing and Spring Azure Butterfly. Furthermore, its’ leaves make an

excellent tea.

Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia Hirta): This flower can reach a height of

3.28—6.56 ft. It has alternate, mostly basal leaves 7.87—29.53 cm long, covered by coarse hair. It flowers from June to August, with inflorescences measuring 3.94—5.91 inches in diameter (up to 11.81 inches in some cultivars), with yellow ray florets circling a brown, domed center of disc florets. It is an upright annual (sometimes bien-nial or perennial) native to most of North America, and is one of a number of plants with the common name Black-eyed Susan.

Smooth Blue Aster: The stems of this flower are usually unbranched with variable, mostly toothed, smooth, bluish green foli-age. It has small flowers (.75 to 1.25" across) with violet blue to purple (sometimes white) rays and yellow center disks appear in open, loose, panicle-like clusters in autumn. The Smooth aster is a Missouri native that typically occurs in prairies, rocky glades, dry open woods, roadside banks and thickets. This flower is

attractive to butterflies.

Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea OR Asteraceae): These flowers are arranged individually on sturdy, elongated stems with soft lavender or purple petals sur-rounding an iridescent red-orange, coned center. The purple coneflower is a robust, drought tolerant perennial, native to the Midwestern and Southeastern United States. It prefers full sun to partial shade in fertile, well-drained soils.

Prairie Dropseed (Sporobulous heterole-pis): This prairie grass produces a magnificent fountain of fine-textured, emerald green leaves and has a faint but unmistakable fragrance. It grows about two feet high. As the seed ripens, it droops over. The plant turns a golden yellow in the fall. It grows on any well-drained soil and can make a well-defined and distinc-tive border when planted 18 to 24 inches apart.

Switch Grass (Panicum vergatum): This native perennial grass is 3-6' tall

and is more or less erect; it usually grows in large bunches. The culms are light to medium green, terete, glabrous, and fairly stout; each culm has several alternate leaves that span most of its length underneath the inflorescence. The leaf sheaths are about the same color as the blades and are hairless; they are open at the mouth. Each ligule has a band of white hairs, while the nodes are swollen and often dark-colored.

Butterfly weed (Asclepias tuberose): This is a perennial plant growing to 0.6-2 m (1 -2 feet) tall, with clustered or-ange or yellow flowers that bloom from early summer to early fall. The leaves are spirally arranged, lanceo-late, 2—5 cm long and .8—1.18 cm broad. Butterfly weed is a species of milkweed native to eastern North America. This plant favors dry, sand or gravel soil, but has also been reported on stream margins.

What does it take to have my own rain garden? 1. Dig a shallow depression with an even

bottom. You decide how large in circumfer-ence you want it to be. Pick a low spot. At least 10 feet from your house and direct water from your downspout or sump pump into it. Chose a site with at least a half day of sunlight.

2. Redirect your rainwater + sump pump towards the depression. Your water chan-nel can be made out of a buried 4” PVC pipe, or by digging out a shallow swale (linear depression).

3. Plant your plants. Ideal: Native plants. But you can also combine them with non-native plants with similar water needs.

4. For the first few weeks: water your plants every second day. Continue on doing that until the plants are growing and well-established.

Once your native Rain Garden plants are estab-lished, they’ll thrive well without additional watering. Fertilizers are not necessary.

The Seven basic Principles of Xeriscaping: Don’t let storm water run off,

use it instead!