From lush lawn to xeriscapes
The mayor of Salt Lake City is leading by example - Rocky Anderson has replaced his green lawn with bark and plants native to the area. The good news is that Mayor Anderson's front 'yard' won't need nearly as much watering, reducing water use in a drought affected city. The bad news is that according to city ordinances, it is against the law.
The New York Times reports that Salt Lake City's mayor wants to change the law, "'I think the zoning ordinance is ridiculous,' Mr. Anderson said. 'It clearly needs to be changed.'" Many cities in the southwest are going the way of the xeriscape - using native plants and vegitation instead of ubiquitous lawn grass.
In fact, cities not in the southwest have been practicing this for a few years, including Seattle. The Seattle Parks Department uses native vegetation in many of their public parks not only as a way to reduce the need for water, but also as a form of integrated pest management.
Substituting plants and groundcover for lawns is a good idea - but as is indicated in the NYTimes article, if you're going to do it, make sure you know and understand how to maintain it.
The New York Times reports that Salt Lake City's mayor wants to change the law, "'I think the zoning ordinance is ridiculous,' Mr. Anderson said. 'It clearly needs to be changed.'" Many cities in the southwest are going the way of the xeriscape - using native plants and vegitation instead of ubiquitous lawn grass.
In fact, cities not in the southwest have been practicing this for a few years, including Seattle. The Seattle Parks Department uses native vegetation in many of their public parks not only as a way to reduce the need for water, but also as a form of integrated pest management.
Substituting plants and groundcover for lawns is a good idea - but as is indicated in the NYTimes article, if you're going to do it, make sure you know and understand how to maintain it.
posted by Amy Marpman at
09:37
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2 Comments:
It just makes sense to plant things that are indigenous to an area. You don't have to water them, you don't have to coddle them, it's just so easy! So why is it so hard?
By
Lulabelle, at 07:32
Nursery of landscaping trees, reforestoration sesdlings, native plants and native shrubs for habitat restoration and wetlands mitigation.
By
nursery plants, at 12:46
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