A Model for Suburbia

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Ecosystem services are goodsand services received from natural resources contributing directly and

indirectly to human welfare.

What is a suburban livable ecosystem? It’s a landscape thattakes advantage of naturalprocesses while providing tangiblebenefits to its owner. When we thinkof home landscapes as ecosystems,we can start to see the opportunitiesto produce ecosystem services rightin our yards; services such as clean-ing water, increasing plant and ani-mal diversity, cooling theenvironment, saving energy, seques-tering carbon, and enjoying land-scapes for the pleasure they canprovide.

Ecosystem services are goodsand services received from naturalresources contributing directly and in-directly to human welfare (de Groot,Wilson and Boumans, 2002). Thisbrochure focuses on these services,the benefits they provide and thestrategies that can be used in home

landscapes to produce them.Because much of our native mid-

Atlantic ecosystem is developed,suburban home owners can play animportant role in redesigning land-scapes to provide vital ecosystemservices. The traditional home land-scape contains a limited palette ofplants, has large areas of regularlymowed lawn, and provides relativelyfew ecosystem services. Forests andmeadows, on the other hand, providemany ecosystem services. By usingmore plants, planting more natives,planting to conserve energy, and in-corporating managed meadows andforest fragments into yards, suburbiacan become a valuable substitute forthe long-gone, predevelopmentforests and meadows.While one homeowner can’t expectto fix the world, each person canmake small improvements over time

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Livable EcosystemsA Model for Suburbia

that add up to positive change. Ifyou want to make a difference, thisbrochure will tell you how! Read onto find out about planting moreshade trees, reducing lawn, recyclinggrass clippings, using leaves asmulch, planting dense groundcovers,and incorporating native plants intoyour landscape. If you’ve been plan-ning a large scale project where youlive, work or play, consider planting arain garden, a windbreak or a wildlifehabitat garden—this brochure willhelp you get started!

Ecosystem Service 1:Clean Water

Clean, fresh water is critical forthe survival of most life forms, buttoo much of a good thing can be aproblem when it arrives with devas-tating force. Traditionally, stormwaterhas been managed by efficient col-lection and transport away from sen-sitive areas. But as stormwatercollects, it gets more and more force-ful, carrying pollutants and erodingthe soil. Contemporary methods formanaging stormwater slow waterdown allowing water to percolate intothe ground. Plants absorb and tran-spire water back to the atmosphere.Lawns are poor at capturing water,particularly on slopes and during thesummer when the soil is sun-baked.Forests don’t need stormwater engi-neers—percolation and transpirationhappen naturally, providing fresh,clean water for future use.

Direct water to landscape plant-ings. Direct the water from your roof,driveway and patio to landscapeplantings in your garden. Take advan-tage of the existing topography toslow water and allow it to seep intothe ground.

Build a rain garden. With a littlemore effort, you can dig out the soiland plant the sunken area with mois-ture-tolerant trees, shrubs and peren-nials. (See page 14 for instructions)

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This neighborhood has cooperated to managean area beyond their mowed lawns as a grassymeadow.

This traditional home landscape has a limitedpalette of plants and large expanses of irri-gated, routinely mowed lawn.

The early emerging perennials in this rain garden,slow water from the lawn above.

Water coming from the roof runs down this rainchain and into the planting bed.

absorbing light energy and using it toevaporate water. Consider planting awind break to reduce heating costsin open landscapes (see page 17 forinstructions).

Reduce lawn area. By reducingmowed lawn area, you can reducefuel consumption and emissions andimprove the permeability of yourproperty. If your lawn is smallenough, you may be able to use apush reel mower and eliminate theneed for fuel altogether. What canthe land be other than lawn?Planted landscape beds will lookgreat but are expensive to install. Depending on the size of your lawn,consider allowing some lawn to be-come a managed meadow (See page21 for instructions) and allow therest to grow into a forest (See page19 for instructions).

Use plants to control weeds.Design the landscape so plant com-petition is the primary method ofweed control. When healthy plantsgrow together in a meadow, forest orlandscape bed, there is no exposedsoil to allow weeds to get a foothold.

In any managed landscape there willbe some need for weed control. Cutweeds before they flower and go toseed. Dig out perennial weeds re-moving the entire root system. Spotspray difficult weeds or invasiveplants.

Use recycled mulch. When plantsare young and have yet to cover theexposed soil, add mulch to reduceweeds. Use composted yard waste orchopped leaves collected in the fallto cover bare soil in the landscape.This improves the permeability ofyour bed and also provides a placefor young fireflies to grow.

Plant a complex mix of nativeplants. Reduce the need for diseaseand insect control by planting a vari-ety of primarily native trees andshrubs. Diverse plantings provide

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Ecosystem Service 2: Fresh Air

Plants improve air quality by reducing temperature, removing airpollutants, sequestering carbon, andreducing energy use in buildings.• Transpiration and shade from treesreduces air temperatures.

• Lower air temperatures result in fewer temperature-dependent pollutants and ozone formingchemicals.

• Leaves intercept particles and takeup air pollutants.

• Trees remove carbon through photosynthesis and store it formany decades.

Each person in the US generatesapproximately 2.3 tons of carbondioxide each year. One acre ofhealthy forest sequesters about 2.6tons per year. So the carbon dioxideproduced by one person would be off-set by one acre of trees. By loweringtemperatures and shading buildingsin the summer, trees and otherplants can reduce building energyuse. Less need for fossil fuel meansfewer carbon emissions.

When your landscape is designedto consider minimizing energy usageand inputs, you save money and timewhile helping improve your environ-ment.

Plant trees to reduce heatingand cooling bills. Strategically placedtrees can reduce winter heating billsand summer cooling bills. Use plantsto provide shade and to reduce wind.Plants that shade paved areas saveenergy. Light energy striking darkpavement like asphalt is absorbed,heating the air. Light colored pave-ment absorbs less energy, but canreflect it toward a building. Treeleaves reduce heat and reflection by

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One acre of healthy forest sequesters 2.6tons of carbon per year, enough to balancethe 2.3 tons of carbon dioxide released byone person each year.

Trees and the shade they cast reduce theheat that is absorbed and reflected from this pavement.

This solid planting of ground covercontrols weeds and forms the carpetfor the shrubs in this landscape.

Leaves provide the perfect mulch forthis grove of trees.

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Ecosystem Service 3: Wildlife

Wildlife—is it good or bad for thelandscape? Gardeners often think ofinsects as pests, but in fact, only asmall percentage of insects becomepests on ornamental plants. Most insects provide food for birds (96 %of our birds rear their young on insects) and other animals. Diverselandscapes support a wide variety of beneficial insects and microorgan-isms that help control the plantpests we do have. Besides being fun to observe, wildlife provides im-portant functions such as pollinatingflowers, distributing seeds, breakingdown (eating) plants, and controllingthe population size of organismslower on the food chain.

The food chain begins with plantsthat create sugars from sunlight andair (pretty awesome!). Herbivores eatplants, carnivores eat animals, and

omnivores eat both. Finally detriti-vores, scavengers and decomposerseat dead plants and animals, return-ing biomass to the soil system. Thisis a sound system and the more ourlandscapes allow these naturalprocesses to occur, the better.

To support wildlife, the landscapemust provide food, water, cover andterritory. Each wildlife species has aunique set of requirements that maychange as an individual species goesthrough its life cycle. For example,butterflies can survive on a variety ofnectar plants, but their larvae (young)may develop on specific plants (seepages 24-25).

Plant a diverse mix of primarilynative plants. Wildlife diversity is di-rectly proportional to plant diversity.Grasses provide grains and greens,shrubs and groundcovers providefruit, flowering plants provide nectarand seed, and trees provide fruit andnuts. All of these plants provide in-sects for birds. Scientists deem oaksand pines as the most valuablewoody plants for wildlife, followed by

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This blue jay can harvest acorns fromthe nearby oak when native trees areincluded in the garden.

opportunities for beneficial insects tothrive and keep pest populations low.Practice integrated pest manage-ment by scouting for pests in thelandscape. If pests become a prob-lem, treat the vulnerable life stagewith the least toxic control optionavailable.

Fertilize with nitrogen in the fallto promote growth. Nitrogen is pres-ent in decomposing plant tissue solawn clippings, fallen leaves andcomposted yard waste are a greatsource. Lawns and actively growingyoung trees require additional nitro-gen. Apply fertilizer in the fall whenplants put most of their energy intoroot growth. Never apply more fertil-izer than plants can take up at anygiven time. The excess is likely toleach into groundwater or run off insurface water. Apply no more thanone pound of actual nitrogen per1000 square feet if the nitrogen is ina quick release form. Slow releasenitrogen, such as some organic ma-nures and coated fertilizer particles,can be applied at a rate of 2 pounds

of nitrogen per 1000 square feet. Add other nutrients based on soil

test results. Most soils in Delawarecontain plenty of phosphorus, potas-sium, calcium, magnesium and sulfurfor lawn and landscape plants, soyou rarely need to add more. Con-duct a soil test to learn the existingnutrient levels and pH. Soil test bagsare available at your County Coopera-tive Extension Office. If soil pH is toohigh or too low, required nutrientsmay not be available to plants, soyou will need to add sulfur or lime toget the pH in the proper range forplant growth.

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Fall colors and flowers providegarden interest and support a diverse population of wildlife.

This small lawn was fertilized inthe fall and has a bright greencolor the following spring.

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Design landscapes to promotewildlife–• Increase the diversity of plantspecies.

• Use different plant combinationsfor different locations on site.

• Use native species. • Select species that provide foodfor the wildlife you want to encour-age.

• Grade to develop topographic varia-tion.

• Reestablish drainage patterns.• Leave water-collecting depressions. • Vary plant community structureacross the site (meadow, shrubthicket, woods).

• Maintain a variety of sizes of treesand shrubs.Manipulate the garden to reduce

habitat for unwanted wildlife. Thereare also unwelcome species ofwildlife in the built landscape.Wildlife may be destructive to build-ings (woodpeckers, raccoons), andvegetation (deer, rabbits, squirrels,moles). It may defecate in publicareas (geese). It can simply be a nui-sance (skunks). Habitat manipulationis more effective than direct popula-tion reduction, because wildlife popu-lations will rebound if habitatrequirements are present.

Design to control unwanted wildlife–• Avoid planting food-producing vege-tation in areas where the presenceof animals can endanger publichealth and safety, such as airports,electric power stations and high-traffic areas.

• Install a buffer of vegetation thatdeer dislike (such as ferns,sedges, grasses, spice bush) atthe woods’ edge.

• Install a fence to restrict largerwildlife.

• Plant a buffer strip of tall, un-mowed vegetation along the edgeof a water body or in an open fieldto discourage geese.

Geese can be a real problemwhen a pond is surrounded by

mowed lawn, but tall plants nextto a pond, not only filter runoffbut eliminate geese habitat.

blackberry, wild cherry and dogwood.Lawns, on the other hand, provide lit-tle wildlife value. There is evidencethat native insects require nativeplant species for food. Without suffi-cient native plants to feed native in-sects, the rest of the food web maybe limited (Tallamy, 2009). Plant forall life stages; for example, butterflygardens must contain plants thatfeed larvae as well as plants thatprovide nectar for butterflies (Seepages 23-25 for plant lists).

Provide cover in the landscape.Cover provides protection fromweather extremes, the eyes of preda-tors, and anything else that poses athreat. Cover supplies shelter, es-cape routes, refuge and places torest. It offers a nesting or roosting lo-cation. It must be adequate forwildlife to successfully rear theiryoung. It can be located in or undervegetation (living or dead), or in smallspaces found in rocks, buildings orunderground. Reforest an area thatwas formally lawn to provide manyopportunities for cover (See page 19for instructions).

Incorporate water into the garden.Water varies in importance fromspecies to species. Browsers, suchas deer and rabbits, receive all thewater they need from the leaves ofplants. Some animals need a sourceof drinking water, while others requirea larger body of water. Bodies ofwater attract many types of wildlife,including songbirds, wading birds,small mammals, small reptiles, am-phibians and insects. In general,

flowing water is more attractive towildlife than still water.

The final habitat requirement, ter-ritory, is the spatial area an individualanimal needs to successfully live itslife. Territorial behavior results in aneven distribution of a population overthe available space. Species with ahigh degree of territorialism appearto be at a disadvantage in humandominated environments.

This fallen log becomes home to many organismswhen it is allowed to decay in the landscape.

A bird bath nestled among shrubs provideswater in a spot that has some protective cover.

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mans, ranging from stress reduction,quicker healing, and mitigation of At-tention Deficit Disorder in children todecreased crime in cities. Researchhas shown that people who interactwith green spaces have a strongersense of community, cope better witheveryday stress and hardship, areless aggressive and violent, performbetter on tests of concentration, andmanage problems more effectively. Aminor investment in green spacescan have a huge payoff in reducingcosts for social, medical and safetyservices. As Henry David Thoreauclaims, a remedy we can never haveenough of is a healthy dose of na-ture.

Become more engaged in the landscape – • Plan functional spaces in the land-scape for play, entertaining andproducing food.

• Grow, harvest and cook your ownproduce.

• Garden for pleasure—move plantson a whim and peacefully pull afew weeds in a nice shady corner

of your garden.• Provide activities for kids to do gar-den projects.

• Attend garden tours and visit pub-lic gardens to get ideas for yourown gardens.

• Use paths to encourage strollingthrough the garden.

• Photograph your garden to capturehighlights.

It can be highly therapeutic and “just plain fun”to get your hands dirty in the garden as thesestudents found out in an Environmental Clubproject.

Get friends and family engaged in the gardenby providing spaces for entertaining.

A simple mowed path encourages entryinto what might otherwise appear to be

an inaccessible meadow.

Ecosystem Service 4:Human wellness

Traditional home landscapes fea-ture vast areas of under-utilizedspace, such as large mowed lawns.Lawn is an important component ofmost landscapes. It is the only viableplay surface; it is used for walking,since it withstands traffic; and it isthe green carpet that complimentsother more complex plantings. Sincelawn is so important, we shouldchoose precisely where it belongs inthe landscape. In other words, planthe lawn first. Include lawn spacesthat have pleasing shapes and per-form appropriate functions in thelandscape. If you want to toss a ballwith your kids, how much space doyou need? Would the size of a stan-dard lap pool be enough (4800

square feet) or how about the infieldof a baseball field (11,000 squarefeet)? How much space do you needfor entertaining—the size the diningarea in a typical McDonald’s restau-rant (1600 square feet)? Once youdesign the lawn spaces, the rest ofthe landscape can be somethingelse – landscape beds, meadow orforest.

Create spaces for human enjoy-ment by designing outdoor rooms tosuit specific needs. Use trees asceilings and shrubs or tall perennialsas walls to define different roomswithin the larger landscape. Oneroom may be used for entertaining,another for play, and a third for a veg-etable garden and storage shed.

Interaction with gardens and natu-ral spaces offers a variety of mental,physical and social benefits for hu-

The lawn in this garden provides a generouspathway to stroll along and enjoy the rest of thelandscape.

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Constructing the rain garden – • Kill the existing vegetation.• Dig out the rain garden to theplanned depth, piling soil on thedownhill side. This soil will be usedto create a berm to keep waterfrom flowing rapidly out of the raingarden in a rainstorm.

• If the area is almost flat, dig therain garden to the same depththroughout. If the area is sloped,dig the high end of the rain gardendeeper than the low end so the re-sult is a level base.

• If you plan to mix compost into thesoil, dig the rain garden 2 inchesdeeper.

• Build a berm or “wall” across theback and sides of the rain garden.Taper the berm to be equal to thesurrounding grade on the uphillside.

• Tamp the berm well so it is com-pacted and stabilize by plantinggrass (use straw or an erosion con-trol mat until the grass is estab-lished) or spreading mulch on theberm.

Planting the rain garden- • Select plants that fit into your land-scape.

• Plants in rain gardens must toler-ate standing water for several daysas well as drought conditions.

• Hardy, herbaceous, native plantsgenerally perform best in rain gar-dens.

• Loosen the soil and plant into wideholes breaking up root systems toget the plant integrated into the

garden quickly.• Provide one inch of water per weekuntil plants are fully established.

Maintaining the rain garden- • Weed the rain garden aggressivelyin the first few years until plants fillin and cover the ground surface.

• Monitor the rain garden for weedproblems as you would any othergarden bed.

• Cut back perennials in the springprior to new growth.

Alternative Construction-• When soil does not percolate well,you can dig out an area muchdeeper than 6-8 inches (up to 4feet) and backfill with well-drainedsandy soil, leaving the surface 6-8inches below the surroundinggrade.

• Another solution is to dig outcolumns of soil using an auger to

When you have time, money and energyto tackle some big projects, here are a

few ways you can make a big difference inyour home landscape:

Install a rain garden:

Rain gardens filter water to pre-vent pollutants from enteringstreams and lakes; protect communi-ties from flooding; recharge local andregional aquifers; and provide valu-able habitat for birds, butterflies andmany beneficial insects.

Locating the rain garden –• Construct a rain garden at least 10feet from the house so infiltratingwater doesn’t seep into the foun-dation.

• Do not place a rain garden directlyover a septic system.

• Avoid areas where water alreadyponds. The goal of a rain garden isto encourage infiltration. Wet areasare where infiltration is slow.

• Locate the rain garden in full orpartial sun.

• Look for a relatively flat site be-cause the rain garden should belevel.

• Choose a spot that will capture thecurrent flow of rain water from im-pervious surfaces (roof, driveway,

paving) or regrade to direct waterinto the rain garden.

• Incorporate the rain garden intothe rest of the landscape – it doesnot need to be a stand-alone bed,but can be connected to any otherlandscape bed or border.

Sizing the rain garden – • A rain garden should be about 10-30% of the square footage of thesource area.

• Most home rain gardens rangefrom 100 to 300 square feet.

• The surface of the rain gardenshould be 6 to 8 inches below thesurrounding grade.

• Soil matters. If your soil is well-drained sand, you need about halfas large an area as you will withpoorly drained clay soil.

• If you calculate a rain garden sizelarger than 300 square feet, youmight want to create severalsmaller rain gardens.

• A rain garden should be abouttwice as long as it is wide. Orientthe long dimension of the rain gar-den perpendicular to the slope andwater source (i.e. downspout).

Native plants capture rainwater from this roof.Eventually, these plants will all grow togetherand there will be no need for mulch.

Plant a windbreak:

A windbreak is a barrier of one ormore rows of trees or shrubs used toreduce and redirect wind. By reducingwind speed behind a windbreak, amore desirable microclimate is cre-ated in the sheltered zone. If de-signed properly, windbreaks around ahome can reduce the cost of heatingand cooling and save energy. Wind-breaks also provide wildlife habitatfor nesting, loafing, escape and pro-tection from the elements.

Locate trees for maximum energybenefits – • Plant deciduous trees to shadeeast-facing walls and windows from7 to 11 AM and west-facing sur-faces from 3 to 7 PM during June,July, and August.

• Plant trees with mature heights ofat least 25 feet approximately 10to 20 feet east and west of thehouse.

• Trees planted to the southeast,south, or southwest will only shadea building in the summer if they ex-tend out over the roof. In the win-ter, when maximum sun is desired,such trees will provide too muchshade. Even deciduous trees thathave dropped their leaves castquite a bit of shade in the winter.

• To avoid winter shading, locatetrees no closer than 2-1/2 timestheir mature height to the south ofa building.

• Locate trees on the southeast orsouthwest about four times theirmature height from the building.

• Plant trees to shade paved areas. • Shade air conditioners from mid-morning through evening. Prunebranches to allow at least severalfeet clearance around the air condi-tioning equipment to encourage airflow. Avoid planting shrubs nearthe air conditioner since they re-duce air flow and cooling efficiency.

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improve percolation. You can rentmany different sized augers de-pending on the scope of your proj-ect and need for improvedpercolation. Back fill the columnswith well-drained sandy soil.

Plants for a rain garden-

Perennials:Aquilegia canadensis, Canadian columbine

Arisaema triphyllum, Jack-in-the-pulpit

Asclepias incarnata, Swamp milkweed

Aster novae-angliae, New England Aster

Aster novi-belgii, New York Aster

Athyrium filix-femina, Lady fern

Baptisia australis, False indigo

Boltonia asteroides, Boltonia

Carex stipata, Tussock sedge

Chelone lyonii, Pink turtlehead

Cimicifuga racemosa, Black snakeroot

Eupatorium maculatum, Joe-pye weed

Gillenia trifoliata, Bowman’s root

Helianthus angustifolius, Swamp sunflower

Hibiscus moscheutos, Marsh mallow

Iris cristata, Dwarf crested iris

Lobelia cardinalis, Cardinal flower

Lobelia siphilitica, Blue lobelia

Meehania cordata, Meehan’s mint

Phlox paniculata, Garden phlox

Physostegia virginiana, Obedient plant, False

dragonhead

Spiranthes cernua, Nodding lady’s tresses

Stylophorum diphyllum, Celandine poppy

Tradescantia x andersoniana, Virginia spider-

wort

Vernonia noveboracensis, Common ironweed

Veronicastrum virginicum, Culver’s root

Shrubs:Cephalanthus occidentalis, Buttonbush

Clethra alnifolia, Summersweet

Cornus amomum, Silky dogwood

Cornus sanguinea, Bloodtwig dogwood

Ilex glabra, Inkberry holly

Ilex verticillata, Winterberry holly

Sambucus canadensis, American elderberry

Viburnum dentatum, Arrowwood

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A well-designed windbreak provides basic windspeed reduction, snow trap and wildlife habitat.

Columns dug three feet deep andfilled with gravel help this rain gardenpercolate.

Plant a forest:

Climax vegetation is the combina-tion of plants that eventually developon an undisturbed plot of land. Anoak/hickory forest is the climax vege-tation for most of the mid-Atlantic re-gion. That doesn’t mean the forestcontains only oaks and hickories. Anoak/hickory forest might includeother shade trees like sycamore andtulip poplar; understory trees, likedogwood, ironwood, beech and black-gum; shrubs like viburnum, spicebush and clethra; and lots of herba-ceous plants starting with springephemerals and ending with fallblooming asters. A healthy forest pro-vides more ecosystem services thanany other type of vegetation. Nutri-ents are recycled effectively; water iscleaned and recharged into ground-water; carbon is sequestered in long-lived trees; and lots of wildlife issupported.

When a plot of land is unman-aged or abandoned it starts to gothrough a process of succession withthe climax vegetation of the regionas the endpoint. For example, if youstop mowing your lawn, early succes-sional plants like goldenrod and littlebluestem dominate for a few years.Then woody plants like eastern redcedar and spice bush arrive. Eventu-ally, trees like red maple fill in andprovide shade for the oaks and hick-ories to get started. At one time, thisprocess happened gradually on anyabandoned land. Unfortunately, thepressure of invasive exotic species

has disrupted the successionalprocess. So reforestation must bemanaged. You can start by releasingland from mowing. But, you will needto provide spot control of invasivespecies like autumn olive, multiflorarose and oriental bittersweet, eitherthrough hand digging or selective her-bicides. You can also plant youngtrees to jump start the process andget a forest established morequickly.

Reforest an area –• Stop routine mowing of the site.• If you mow yearly, you will preventwoody plants from developing.

• If you want a forest to grow, youmust stop mowing entirely.

• Watch the plants that grow and re-move invasive species that will notcontribute to a healthy ecosystem.• Remove by handdigging.• Remove by using a selective herbicide.

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Plant an effective windbreak - • Windbreak structure—height, den-sity, number of rows, species com-position, length, orientation andcontinuity—determines the effec-tiveness of a windbreak.

• Windbreak height is the most im-portant factor determining the areaprotected by a windbreak. Sinceplants grow, windbreaks continueto become more effective as theyage. Wind speed is reduced in anarea 2 to 5 times the height of thewindbreak on the windward sideand up to 30 times the height ofthe windbreak on the leeward side.

• Windbreak density is the ratio ofthe solid portion of the barrier tothe total area of the barrier. A wind-break density of 40 to 60 percentprovides the greatest downwindarea of protection. The number ofrows, distance between rows and

species composition control wind-break density. If the windbreak density is below 20 percent, awindbreak does not provide usefulwind reductions. Above 80 percent,excessive turbulence may reducethe protected zone.

• Windbreaks are most effectivewhen oriented at right angles toprevailing winds. The use of multi-ple-leg windbreaks provides alarger protected area than a singlewindbreak.

• For maximum efficiency, the unin-terrupted length of a windbreakshould exceed the height by atleast 10:1.

• To attract a broad spectrum ofwildlife, plant a multi-row windbreakconsisting of evergreens, shrubsand tall deciduous trees.

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Home with windbreak designed for wildlife habitat enhancement.

These young trees will eventually grow into aforest if managed properly for 10-20 years.

Manage a meadow:

A tall grass meadow is a commonsight in the midwest—called aprairie, but meadows also grow in themid-Atlantic in areas that receive pe-riodic disturbance. The New JerseyPine Barrens has areas of meadowthat are maintained by fire (once anatural occurrence and now plannedburns).

If you stop mowing your lawn rou-tinely and mow it only once or twice ayear, the result will be a meadow.Meadows can be highly variable andwill require management to promoteand support desirable species. Thecomposition will depend on soilmoisture, sunlight and surroundingseed sources. Meadows require fullsun to thrive. Native grasses like lit-tle bluestem, Indiangrass and switch-grass form the backbone of a healthymeadow. These grasses will comeinto a meadow eventually, but canalso be seeded in to speed up theprocess. Moist areas tend to supportnative flowering perennials and dis-courage the common invasive plantsthat can dominate infrequentlymowed spaces. Prevent woody plantsfrom taking over by mowing themeadow at least once per year,preferably in March.

To seed a meadow, consider mix-ing seed with an organic carrier. Startby killing the existing plants with anherbicide or by covering the spacewith black plastic. Buy a mix of warmseason grass seed with a fewspecies of flowering perennials

mixed in. Mix the seed with an or-ganic carrier like composted sawdustor yard waste. Spread the organiccarrier about ½ to 1 inch thick overthe designated meadow. The carrierprovides a moist medium for germi-nation and prevents light from reach-ing the soil, reducing competitionfrom annual crabgrass and foxtail.

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• Plant young grove-forming treeslike persimmon and paw paw, toget a tree cover established.

• Plant larger shade trees like redmaple, tulip poplar, sweet gum, oakand hickory to get a canopy estab-lished.

• Use spot treatment, hand removalor selective trimming to keepplants (aka weeds) that grow upbetween the trees from crowdingout the trees or making the sitelook ugly.

• Create distinct edges between re-forested areas and lawns by mow-ing lawns routinely on a pleasingline. This will go a long way towardmaking the reforestation site ac-ceptable during its awkward earlyyears.

While not an entire forest, this grove of trees ina residential front lawn grew up in less than 40years to become a lovely wooded space.

A mowed path provides the “cue of care”in this back lawn turned meadow.

The bright green of this mowed path contrastsnicely with the tan grass in the meadow.

Plant a butterfly garden:

Here is one example of plantsthat will attract a highly desired formof wildlife—butterflies. In general,butterflies are less specific with nectar preferences. The plants listedbelow all supply nectar for a widerange of butterflies. Since individualspecies have more exacting require-ments for larval food, the chart onpages 24-25 lists preferred larvalfood for a variety of mid-Atlantic butterflies.

The following plants are good nectarsources and attract a wide variety ofbutterflies.Asters, Aster spp,

Azaleas, Rhododendron spp.

Bee balm, Monarda didyma

Black-eyed Susan, Rudbeckia spp.

Blue giant hyssop, Agastache foeniculum

Bottlebrush buckeye, Aesculus parviflora

Butterfly weed, Asclepias tuberosa

Bush cinquefolia, Potentilla fruticosa

Clethra, Clethra spp.

Coreopsis, Coreopsis spp.

Gaillardia, Gaillardia spp.

Goldenrod, Solidago spp.

Heliotrope, Heliotropum spp.

Hibiscus, Hibiscus spp.

Ironweed, Vernonia novaboracensis

Joe-Pye weed, Eupatorium spp.

Lavendar, Lavendula spp.

Lilac, Syringa vulgaris

Lantana, Lantana camara

Marigold, Tagetes spp.

Milkweed, Asclepias spp.

Mint, Mentha spp.

Pentas, Pentas lanceolata

Phlox, Phlox spp.

Purple coneflower, Echinacea spp.

Rosemary, Rosmarinus officinalis

Shasta daisy, Leucanthemum cv.

Sunflowers, Helianthus spp.

Sweet pea, Lathyrus odoratus

Trumpet honeysuckle, Lonicera sempervirens

Verbena, Verbena spp.

Zinnias, Zinnia spp.

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Meadows in managed landscapeslook better when they have signifi-cant “cues of care.” Mow the edgebetween the meadow and the lawnregularly to give the meadow a clean,well-defined edge. Mow a windingpath through the meadow regularly toprovide access and show that themeadow is planned. Consider plant-ing special warm season grasses orflowering perennials at meadowedges to provide color and interest.Mow meadows in early spring tochop up the old leaves and allow newstems and leaves to emerge. Somemeadows look better when they arekept shorter by mowing twice a year.A second mowing in late June will re-duce the height of the meadow, keeptall grasses from flopping and reducethe tall flowering weeds that mightlook unattractive.

Grow a meadow – • Stop routine mowing of the site.• Mow at least once a year to pre-vent woody plants from developing.

• Watch the plants that grow and re-move invasive species that will notcontribute to a healthy ecosystem.• Remove by hand digging.• Remove by using a selective her-bicide.

• To seed a meadow, kill the existingplants with a non-selective herbi-cide or a covering of black plastic.

• Mix seed with composted organicmatter (i.e. sawdust or yard waste)and spread over desired meadowin 1/2- 1 inch layer.

• Provide “cues of care”.• Mow neat edges.• Mow paths through the meadow.• Plant flowering perennials at keyedges.

• Mow in late-June to keep plantsshorter.

A swallowtail butterfly is attracted to JoePye weed in this blowsy meadow.

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Plants that will provide foodfor butterfly larvae:

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References and Resources:

Barton, S.S. and R.S. Pineo. 2009.

Human Benefits of Green Spaces.

UD Cooperative Extension, Sustainable Land-

scape Series. http://ag.udel.edu/udbg/sl/hu-

manwellness/Human_Benefits.pdf,

17 May, 2011.

Benefits of Trees In Urban Areas

http://www.coloradotrees.org/benefits.htm#8,

17 May 2011.

Cramer, Steve. Planting to Conserve Energy,

Colorado State University

Cooperative Extension

http://www.colostate.edu/Dept/CoopExt/4dm

g/Trees/conserve.htm, 17 May 2011.

de Groot, R. S., Wilson, M. A., & Boumans, R.

M. J. (2002). A typology for the classification,

description and valuation of ecosystem func-

tions, goods and services. Ecological

Economics, 41(3), 393-408.

Kuhns, Michael. Planting Trees for Energy Con-

servation: The Right Tree in the Right Place,

Utah State University.

http://extension.usu.edu/forestry/Home-

Town/Energy_TreesandEnergy.htm,

17 May 2011.

Lyle, John Tillman.1999. Design for Human

Ecosystems: Landscape, Land Use, and Natural

Resources. Island Press.

Tallamy, Douglas W. 2009. Bringing Nature

Home: How You Can Sustain Wildlife With Na-

tive Plants. Timber Press.

Acknowledgements:

Author:Susan Barton, University of Delaware

Reviewers:Douglas Barton, DelSys Inc.Jules Bruck, University of DelawareValann Budischak, Delaware Nurseryand Landscape AssociationGary Schwetz, Delaware Center forHorticultureDouglas Tallamy, University ofDelaware

Photographs provided by:Susan BartonDouglas Tallamy

Scale graphic provided by:Sarah Minnich

Graphic Design by:Carrie Finnie

Funding provided by:Specialty Crop Block Grant Program –Farm BillProject Title: Native Plants IncreasingDemand and Production Capacitiesin Delaware

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Why not Butterfly Bush?

Why not use butterfly bush in abutterfly garden? They certainly at-tract butterflies. Butterfly bush (Bud-dleia davidii) is originally from Chinaand has been grown as an ornamen-tal since 1900. Its popularity hasskyrocketed in the past two decades,especially as a plant to attract butter-flies and it has escaped from gar-dens into disturbed areas such asroadsides, open fields and water-ways. In the garden, many seedlingscan be found at the base of an exist-ing butterfly bush. The jury is still outon the severity of butterfly bush’s in-vasiveness. However, many people

believe gardeners should avoid plant-ing a potentially invasive specieswhen there are so many other greatbutterfly-attracting plants available.While butterfly bush flowers are anectar source for butterflies, theplant does not provide food for but-terfly larvae.

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The local native shrub, groundsel bush hasattracted a monarch butterfly.