Monday, April 20, 2009

Native Landscaping - If Everyone Did This, How Cool The Earth Would Be (Literally!)

Happy Earth Day one day early! I live in town but my yard doesn't look like suburbia so much. All landscaping materials were scavenged, and all of the hardwood trees and shrubs have been grown from seeds or cuttings. Evergreens were bought for less than a dollar apiece (about a foot tall) from St. Joseph County Soil and Water Conservation District, and they came from the state nursery at Jasper-Pulaski. I have a sweet rain garden but can't find the pics I took last year when it was flowering. All of the plants were grown from seeds and root cuttings, and some came from Scott's old house (when he wasn't looking). None came from parks and preserves, of course. The lawn and garden have been chemical free for the 16 years we've been here. I'm now working to eliminate treated lumber. That stuff is horribly poisonous. A brick runnel made from scavenged paving bricks carries rain water from the downspout to the rain garden, and now I'm setting up a rain barrel. Here's a picture of the brick runnel with the rain garden barely visible in the background. Also before and after pics of the house and environs.






I wanted to live in the woods but my wife wanted to live in town, so we comprimised. We bought a house in town and I planted a lot of trees!

1 comment:

ben said...

I like your ideas! I'll have to try them when I get a house.