Green-scaping – Eco-friendly Landscaping Tips
Not only is it unwise from a customer expectation standpoint, landscaping with non-native plants is more difficult, requires more resources, and runs counter intuitive to the local experience you bring to your guests. Native plants are beautiful, hardy, and once established, require less maintenance than a conventional lawn. Native flowers and grasses also function much like a natural system, with diverse plants providing food and shelter for a host of birds, butterflies and beneficial insects. What camper wouldn't enjoy that?
From a small patch of native wildflowers to simply planning, pruning, and caring for your natural landscaping (otherwise known as beneficial landscaping) with a little groundwork, you can extend your "green" commitment throughout your park. And what could be more natural than that for an industry that survives via the great, green outdoors.
While traditional landscaping tends to usurp clean air, contributes to watershed contamination, and plays a role in air pollution, the wise use of beneficial landscaping practices can save money and time and give you "gone green" bragging rights.
Here are a few tips to help your "greenscape" from our friends at the EPA's Resource Conservation Challenge:
• Most trees and shrubs get all the nutrients they need from the soil.
But annual plants, vegetable gardens, and lawns sometimes need
additional nutrients from a fertilizer. When shopping for fertilizer, look for a
product that contains
"natural organic" or
"slow-release" ingredients.
Unlike "quick-release" fertilizers, "natural organic" or "slow-release"
fertilizers feed your plants slowly and evenly. The result? Healthier
plants withstrong root systems and no excessive "top growth"– saving
you time and money. Improper use of fertilizers can damage
beneficial soil life essential for healthy plants.
• Select plants that grow well in your area of the country and fit the
amount of sun, type of soil, and water available in your yard. In general, it
makes sense to use low-water plants to save yourself or your staff the time
and expense of watering.
• Choose indigenous pest- and disease-resistant plant varieties and
you'll save money and time on pest control.
• Pesticides (including weed and bug killers) can be effective tools
for controlling pests such as insects, weeds, and diseases. However, be
sure you need a pesticide before using it. On-going pest problems are
often a sign that your lawn or garden is not getting what it needs to
stay healthy.
• Only about 5% - 15% of the bugs in your yard are pests. "Good bugs,"
like the ladybug and the praying mantis, help control pests.
Today's consumers care about the environment and are voting more and more with their green – their dollars. Tout your green practices using your website's "sticky" content as well as sharing this information in your printed collateral.
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