A HEALTHY YARD BEGINS WITH NATIVE PLANTS
Labor Day weekend is here, and usually that means many homeowners spend time working on their yards and gardens. This year in Bedford, NY, it is still too dry to work on renovating our turf or planting shrubs.
But with the El Nino in the Pacific we are likely to have a wet, mild, winter here in the Northeast. The Southwestern states will likely be a little cooler than usual, and all of the Southern states are expected to get more rain.
So start thinking about adding some native plants to your garden.
Native plants will not need artificial pesticides or fertilizers, so they protect our drinking water from contamination. They will also provide the right type of food for bees, butterflies, and birds. And for many of the birds and butterflies, that food has to power their migration (that is starting now!) down to South America.
In California and other states where drought is a very long-term problem, think of native plants that will tolerate the drought, but realize that you have to keep them well watered for the first year so they can become established.
For the rest of us, start planning what native plants go best where in your backyard. Do they like sun, partial sun, dry, or moist conditions. And get ready to plant when the rains come, because fall is when root growth is the strongest.
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