How-To Guides

Because native plants evolved with the insects in our region, they are naturally resistant to insect damage and instead attract the birds that keep insect populations under control.  Our soil is already well-suited to native plants, so chemical fertilizers are also unnecessary.  You can avoid the toxic chemicals that impact our children and pets, as well as the poisons that run off into our water supplies by gardening naturally with native plants.

Title: Healthy Yards
Author/Source: Bedford 2030
Description:  Healthy Yards contains information for both the homeowner and professional on the dangers of pesticides and the benefits of maintaining yards organically.  There are also links to other sites including government agencies that can give further insights. Sometimes offers educational webinars. Also has FaceBook group, "Westchester Pollinators."

Title: Sustainable Landscaping: Go Native
Author/Source: NYS Department of Environmental Conservation
Description:  Homeowner tips on creating healthy, environmentally friendly lawns and gardens. See Section: Go Chemical Free

Title: Lawn Care without Pesticides
Author/Source: Frank Rossi, Cornell University College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
Description: How to grow and maintain a lawn without pesticides. 20-page publication.

A native garden.

Lawns provide zero ecological benefit and consume enormous amounts of water, pesticide, herbicide, fertilizer, and labor.  Replacing lawn with native plants is an easy way to restore nature’s healthy balance.

Title:   How to Reduce Lawns
Author/Source: Healthy Yards
Description:   Overview of several different methods to remove lawn.

Title:      Site Preparation and Soil Layer Building: From Turf Lawn to Naturescape
Author/Source: PlantNative.org
Description: Article describing how to remove turf lawn and prepare the soil for planting natives or "naturescaping."

Title:      Our Lawns are Killing Us. It's Time to Kick the Habit
Author/Source: Ecological Landscape Alliance        
Description:   How and why to reduce your lawn. This article lists reasons to reduce your lawn and lays out steps for how to do so.

 

Landscaping with native plants is a great way to reduce your yard work while also helping to restore natural habitat. Stop mowing the lawn, bagging leaves, and cutting down your garden plants in the fall. Sometimes, less work is good for nature. For more information, see "Mulching" section of Planting Westchester's Soil Health page. [LINK] Title: Meaningful Maintenance: Fall Clean-up with Positive Impact Author/Source: The Native Herald: Prairie Moon Nursery Description: A blog giving information and encouragement about sustainable fall garden clean-up. This blog site contains other helpful information on pollinator and native gardens. Title: Fall Clean-up with Ecology in Mind with Doug Tallamy Author/Source: Margaret Roach Description: Renowned gardening writer Margaret Roach's online newsletter "A Way to Garden" issue featuring a fall clean-up podcast with Dr. Doug Tallamy. Title: All About Leaf Blowers and Leaf Blowers and Our Eco System Organization: Healthy Yards Description: Calling leaf blowers “one of the most environmentally damaging and controversial tools we use in our communities,“ these pages provide links to a wide variety of resources detailing their harm and solutions.

Pollinator Garden planted by Friends of Dobbs Ferry Riverfront Park.

Pollinators, especially native bees and butterflies, are disappearing at an alarming rate. Planting the native plants they need in pollinator gardens is both attractive and beneficial.  Any place lawn grows is a good place for a pollinator garden or meadow planting. Unlike lawn, meadows are incredibly diverse resources for pollinators, birds, and many other animals. Meadow plants are adapted to poor soil and average rainfall, which makes starting and maintaining a meadow a very low maintenance project once the plants are established.

Title:   Native Plants for the Small Yard
Author/Source: Kate Brandes, Lehigh Gap Nature Center
Description:   A colorful booklet (view on website or download as PDF) on planting and maintaining native gardens in small yards.

Title:  The Pollinator Victory Garden: Win the War on Pollinator Decline with Ecological Gardening
Author/Source: Kim Eierman
Publisher:   Quarto Publishing Group USA, 2020
Description:   Comprehensive, illustrated guide to turning your landscape into a pollinator haven.

Title:  Garden Revolution: How Our Landscapes Can Be a Source of Environmental Change
Author/Source: Larry Weaner/ Thomas Christopher
Publisher:  Timber Press, 2016
Description:   A comprehensive book on creating and maintaining a healthier landscape.

Title:   Urban & Suburban Meadows
Author/Source:  Catherine Zimmerman
Publisher: Matrix Media Press, 2010
Description:  A comprehensive "how-to" for planting meadows large and small, including plant lists by region and growing conditions.

Title:   Establishing a Wildflower Meadow from Seed
Author/Source:  University of New Hampshire Extension
Description:  Comprehensive, detailed fact sheet on all aspects of planting a meadow.

Choose the right mulch to improve soil, reduce weeds, and prevent the spread of wood-borne diseases. Or use native groundcovers to avoid the need for mulch at all! For additional information look at the All About Mulch section in Native Plants, as well in the Mulching section in Soil. Choose the right mulch to improve soil, reduce weeds, and prevent the spread of wood-borne diseases. Or use native groundcovers to avoid the need for mulch at all. See "Mulching" on What is Soil and Why is Health Soil Important. Title: All About Mulch Author/Source: Missy Fabel Description: Discusses the do's and don'ts of mulch, different kinds of mulch as well as the use of leaf mulch and green/living mulches. Geared towards homeowner, discusses mulch with hyperlinks to more information. Title: More About Mulch Author/Source: Healthy Yards Description: Overview of types of mulch.