PAGE 6B Yankton Daily Press & Dakotan ■ Saturday, May 8, 2010 www.yankton.net HOMEGARDEN Eco-Friendly Practices Good For Yard, Soul BY CASSANDRA SPRATLING For Lumley, gardening in an © 2010, Detroit Free Press eco-friendly way is not just good for the environment, it’s sooth- DETROIT — Start talking ing to her soul. about a green lawn and most “I come home from work, people think you’re talking about have a beverage and just sit in the color of the grass. the yard and unwind as I listen But Lillian Dean of to the birds,” Lumley says. “To Huntington Woods, Mich., is not me that’s very healing to the most people. spirit.” When Dean talks about a In Royal Oak, Mich., Barbara green lawn and garden, she’s not Johnson is also a green garden- just talking about esthetics. ing fan; some might even call the She’s talking about an environ- 78-year-old a pioneer in the field. mentally friendly space where Johnson was first introduced grass, flowers, trees and vegeta- to healthy gardening by her bles grow in healthy soil that mother. Now her yard includes doesn’t harm the Earth. composting bins, several native “Step-by-step, the idea that plants, two rain gardens and an environmental responsibility assortment of roses and shrubs. rests with every person is being And if someone pulls up beside infused in our society,” says you to tell you you’re cutting Dean, coordinator of Healthy your lawn too short, it just might Lawns and Gardens for the be Johnson, a retired elementary Southeastern Oakland County school teacher who readily (Mich.) Water Authority. admits she’ll stop and teach a “People are looking for things mini-lesson to folks she sees they can do, both as families and abusing their lawns. individuals. I’m seeing it across “I don’t buy fertilizer,” she the spectrum of ages.” says. “My plants make their own As spring yard clean-ups and food. And I don’t get weeds or early garden work begin, local unwelcome insects.” gardeners and landscape enthu- ——— siasts are grappling with the LAWN AND GARDEN ADVICE notion of green gardening, per- haps the biggest gardening trend Mow high—grass should be 3 of the past decade and the most inches in height. Tall grass challenging. How do you get encourages deep roots and dis- your flowers and yard to look courages crabgrass and other good without the aid of pesti- weeds. cides and other harsh chemi- Let grass clippings stay cals? where they fall. They contain It takes lots of dedication and valuable nutrients and help education. shade the soil, reducing mois- “It’s important because when KIMBERLY P. MITCHELL/DETROIT FREE PRESS/MCT ture loss. pesticides and harmful chemi- Lillian Dean, 63, spreads organic mulch in the flower garden that adds organic matter to the soil for nutrients and to keep in water at her Purchase fertilizer with slow- cals get into our air and water, it home in Huntington Woods, Michigan, Saturday, April 10, 2010. Dean coordinates healthy lawn and garden education for the release nitrogen and low or no affects our health and quality of Southeastern Oakland County Water Authority, which promotes environment-friendly gardening. phosphorus and no pesticides. life,” says Dean, 63. “The truth is Look for brands that have a that pesticides kill pests and healthy products and services. ter what it is,” Calhoun says. Rick Thomas, a lawn and gar- butterflies and hummingbirds. bright green “Earth-friendly” they have different degrees of Several southeast Michigan “One of the simplest, den manager at Ace Hardware in Two bins of compost help fer- sticker on them. toxicity to humans, to birds, to retailers post stickers alerting smartest things you can do Troy, Mich., says he still sees the tilize her yard. And a rain barrel Follow product instructions, pollinators, bees and butterflies, buyers that certain fertilizers are when applying fertilizer is get greatest demand for quick fixes — purchased last year — cap- being careful to apply only the to aquatic life and other animals. Earth-friendly. any rogue particles off the side- and fast-acting chemicals. tures and filters rain she uses to amount needed for the space. “Some people are very, very There are three keys to envi- walk, driveway and street and But, he says, there’s a grow- water her garden. But, Dean cau- Sweep fertilizer from the sensitive to even small levels of ronmentally friendly lawns and back on the lawn. Fertilizer gran- ing market of products for peo- tions, rain barrels don’t neces- pavement onto the lawn or gar- pesticides in the air or soil,” she gardens, Dean and others say. ules on these surfaces can easily ple willing to put in the time. sarily cut your water bill. den. says. “Others can tolerate a bit Mow so the grass is at least 3 get washed into the storm drain “There are a lot of products “They’re more a gardener’s Learn about composting. And more.” inches high and leave the clip- and can end up polluting rivers available now that didn’t exist convenience because you can use compost as fertilizer; it’s nat- It’s a message Dean has been pings where they fall; use fertiliz- and lakes. even a few years ago.” simply dip out the water you ural, returns nutrients to the spreading for more than a er that’s free of pesticides and “On the other hand,” he says, Dean’s yard is blooming with need, and they’re cute,” she land and holds moisture. decade. But in recent years, contains slow-release nitrogen “a dense lawn, as a result of bright yellow daffodils and red says. “They’re kind of a badge of Aerate at least once a year to there’s been evidence that and low or no phosphorous, and proper mowing, fertilization and tulips. An assortment of other honor.” add oxygen to the lawn. Michiganders are not only hear- water your garden appropriately irrigation, will effectively limit flowers and shrubs are starting Amy Lumley of Oak Park, For advance help, send sam- ing the message of experts like in the early morning hours, with sediment movement in urban to sprout. The garden in her Ill., says her friends call her ples of soil to your county’s Dean, but heeding it. small amounts of water, several landscapes.” backyard includes a variety of yard, which attracts a variety Michigan State University Attendance at workshops times a week. People striving for healthy plants, flowers and vegetables, of birds and butterflies, a Extension office. To find the Dean organizes is rising. A Michigan State University lawns without pesticides and including strawberries, rhubarb nature center. Extension office closest to you, recent two-hour workshop drew Extension turf specialist Ron other chemicals need patience, and peppers. She fertilizes her lawn, flow- visit www.msue.msu.edu or call more than 100 people to the Oak Calhoun says that people striv- Calhoun says. Mingling flowers and vegeta- ers and vegetables with compost toll-free 1-888-678-3464. A soil Park (Mich.) Community Center. ing for green yards need accu- “Unfortunately, dramatic bles discourages pests and dis- and incorporates a variety of test will help determine best “It used to be you had to push rate information. He says using results don’t occur overnight. ease, she says. native plants. She also has a rain nutrients needed for your soil. your way in. Now people are synthetic fertilizers in a yard We know that proper lawn care Dean makes it a point to garden. There is a fee of $10 to $20. really open to hearing about it,” instead of an organic variety practices will reduce broadleaf include native plants in her yard. Growing in popularity, rain ——— she says. doesn’t automatically spell weed populations by 60 percent They have roots that help nour- gardens are shallow depressions Get green garden help Retailers, manufacturers and doom for the waterways. to 75 percent over four to six ish the lawn and attract benefi- in the ground that are designed For a list of Earth-friendly fer- lawn service companies are also “What matters most is using years. Most folks are not patient cial insects. A swamp milkweed, to funnel rain water runoff into tilizers and products, lawn care responding to consumer the proper product at the proper enough to wait for these results. with its clusters of tiny purple- the garden instead of into drains services, retailers and tips, visit demands for environmentally time at the proper rate, no mat- It does work, but it takes time.” pink flowers, attracts Monarch and sewer systems. www.healthylandscapes.com. Easy-Does-It: Growing Turning Scraps Into Garden Compost BY JOAN OBRA Herbs In The Window © 2010, McClatchy Newspapers BY JUDY HEVRDEJS Size things up: “Genovese basil FRESNO, Calif. — It’s about 4:30 © 2010, Chicago Tribune can grow to 21/2 feet tall. You put p.m., and the staff at Irene’s Cafe that in a window box, it’s not going in Fresno, Calif., knows to expect a Window boxes and containers, to look very good,” Cox says. “If food pickup. But this isn’t a typi- overflowing with lush plantings, can you’re going to put herbs that cal order. Instead, it’s a bucket do more than add a “wow factor” to tend to grow tall in a window box, filled with food waste — French your home, patio, deck or balcony. keep pinching them back.” fries, lemon slices, pickles and Filled with herbs, those contain- Shopping savvy: Buy healthy pasta covered in sauce.