Massachusetts; WaterWise Landscaping to Fight the Water Crisis and Drought

8/3/2019 Massachusetts; WaterWise Landscaping to Fight the Water Crisis and Drought

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Water has historically beenviewed as the source oflife in almost all human

cultures, and with good reason. Theorigins of civilization have alwaysbeen closely tied to large bodies ofwater. The Yellow River in China,the Euphrates in Persia, and theNile in Egypt enabled those earlyempires to flourish. However,our urban centers today are farmore populated and requiremuch more water than these earlycivilizations. The abundance ofwater on the globe has givenmankind the false conception offresh water as an infinite resource.In fact, freshwater comprisesonly 3 percent of the earths total

water supply, much of which is lockedin the polar ice caps1. This false con-ception has led to extremely unsus-tainable modern methods of watermanagement to provide for our urbancenters.

Understanding the earths naturalwater cycle and the lands watershedare the keys to sustainable watermanagement. The process is relativelysimple to explain, in contrast, theeffects of our alterationseven minorones, are extremely complex. In short,

the sun evaporates water into theatmosphere, forming it into clouds.The water is then released back tothe earth in the form of precipitationwhere it flows through the land,supplying all the life forms beforereturning to the rivers, lakes, andoceans, where the cycle is repeatedagain. The path of the water alongthe land is defined as the watershed.Mans interventions to this water-shed has led to many environmentalproblems including, flooding,

droughts, extinction of native plantsand animals, water contamination,and depletion of freshwater reserves.

In addition to these direct environ-mental problems, the processes ofextracting, storing, distributing and

heating water is also energyintensive. Hence sustainablewater management must consid-er both watershed protectionand water conservation.

Protecting the watershedThe sites natural watershed is

responsible for providing waterto the environment. Managingthis watershed sustainably canenhance the natural habitat, con-

serve water, and provide long termwater storage and flood protection.

Water sourcesWater sources are primarily drawn

from groundwater (undergroundwells and springs), and surface water

(lakes, rivers, and streams). Conver-sion of saltwater into freshwater isalso possible, but the difficulty andenergy intensity of this process makesit a viable solution only in very limitedareas. The main objectives are to pro-tect these water sources from contam-ination and ensure the natural replen-ishing of them. Protecting the water-shed therefore, becomes the highestpriority in sustainable water manage-ment.

Water continued on page 3

The Newsletter of The Ecological Landscaping Association Vol. 9, No. 3 Fall 2002

within:

Editors two cents. . . . . . . . . . . . 2U.S. suffers under drought . . . 5Water-conserving practices . . . 6

Rain garden plants. . . . . . . . . . . 7Wise watering. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8Do the right thing?! . . . . . . . . . . 9U.S., highest wastefulness . . . 10Handbook of water use

and conservation . . . . . . . . . 11ELA news. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12BOD profiles contd. . . . . . . . . 14Gleanings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16Darke book review . . . . . . . . . 18Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19Resources . . . . . . . . . . back cover

Waterby Robert Hsin

The highest good is like water.

Water gives life to the ten thousand

things and does not strive.

It flows in places men reject

and so is like the Tao.Excerpt from the

Tao Te Ching, chapter 8

We hope you find the content ofthis special water issue valuable

as reference and incentive


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Gramma said when you come onsomething good, first thing to do isshare it with whoever you can find;that way the good spread out whereno telling it will go. Which is right.

Little Tree in The Educationof Little Tree, by Forrest Carter

The Ecological Landscaperis published by the Ecological

Landscaping Association (ELA).Subscriptions are a benefit

of membership in ELA. For moreinformation about ELA, write to:

ELA

60 Thoreau Street, #252Concord, MA 01742-2456

Or check our Web site at:www.ELA-ecolandscapingassn.org

(Members section password: ecopost)

Talk to us. We welcome yourcomments, letters, articles, ideas,and opinions. Address all newslet-ter correspondence, submissions,and address corrections to: NickNovick, 6 Meadowbrook Lane,Ashland, MA 01721; (508) 881-1517(phone/fax); e-mail:[email protected].

Send all other ELA business to theaddress above.

The ELA board meets throughoutthe year in various locations ineastern Massachusetts. All membersare welcome. Contact us for specificdates and locations.

ELA Board of DirectorsPresident: Kathy Sargent-ONeill

Vice President: Chris OBrienTreasurer: Sue Storer

Recording Secretary: Frances Clark

M.L. Altobelli James MarzilliTom Akin Nick NovickNancy Askin Chris OBrienDon Bishop Tom Sheehan

Barbara Keene Tom SmarrAndrea Knowles Diane Syverson

Bob Levite

Administrative Assistant:Pat MacAlpine

NewsletterEditorial Director: Nick NovickProduction Editor: Joy Buslaff

2

Water. H2O. Three atoms, uniquely joined, form a large part of the basis

for life on Earth. On the planet we call home, 71 percent of whose surfaceis covered with the stuff, water plays an essential role in nearly everyaspect of life and is capable of astounding feats.

That it is a substance less dense as a solid than a liquid allows ice to float(no fun skating on the bottom of a pond). With enough volume and time,it can carve a Grand Canyon. It comprises the bulk of most living things.Biochemical processes occur mostly in an aqueous environment, whetherwithin the walls of a cell, in the soil under our feet, or in the vast oceans.

Seemingly abundant, essential for life, and long taken for granted, ourwater suppliesfresh, readily available, clean waterare now decliningor threatened on an ever-widening scale. The total amount of water in theglobal system (roughly 326 million cubic miles1) doesnt significantlychange (your afternoon tea could be made with Cleopatras bath water),

but its distribution, quality, and availability do.Changing weather patterns (likely, at least in part, due to human activ-

ity), overuse, inefficiency and mismanagement, political upheaval, and,recently, even commercial commodification of water supplies have pro-duced situations where water crises are now occurring, spreading, orlooming in many parts of the world.2

A sampling of the current state of affairs is sobering:

About 20 percent of the worlds population (more than a billion people)do not have access to safe drinking water.

Roughly 5.3 million deaths per year are attributable to unsafe water.

80 percent of diseases in the developing world are caused bycontaminated water.

Global water consumption is doubling every 20 years, more than twicethe rate of the population.

More than half the worlds wetlands were destroyed in the lastcentury.

And lest one think that water problems are confined only to countriesin the developing world, or to traditionally arid regions, note recent newsheadlines such as U.S. faces day of reckoning; even traditionally wetareas run out of water as sprawl, global warming take toll.3 In Florida,overdrawn ground and surface waters are becoming briny as seawaterinfiltrates. In 2001, more than half of Kentuckys counties ran short ofwater or were on the verge of shortages before a rainy period broughtrelief. In northeast Kansas, water is becoming so scarce that consideration

is being given to a $200-million pipeline to bring water from the Missis-sippi River.

A number of towns face running out of water in a decade or two notonly in the arid southwest (El Paso, San Antonio, and Albuquerque), butalso in other parts of the country. Here in New England, in the late 1990s,many rivers had average monthly flows lower than they had in decades,and water levels in in-ground wells were also at record lows. In Massa-chusetts, the combination of water withdrawals for public water suppliesand extended drought reduced sections of the Ipswich River to a series ofisolated, stagnant pools during the summer months in a number of recent

EDITORS TWO CENTS

The water crisis is here


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3

years. This past summer, many towns and cities instituted water restric-

tions or bans to conserve supplies.As a culture, we still often display a stunning lack of understandingof and appreciation for water (to the point where the U.S ranks worst inthe world in water use efficiency; see article, page 10). Even in the midstof serious droughts, TV weather forecasters refer to imminent rain astrouble, or a problem. Lawn sprinklers on auto-pilot apply waterwhen its raining. Leaky pipes in municipal water systems result in flowlosses of as much as 30 percent in some places. The list goes on.

Our collective awareness of and respect for water need to take giantleaps forward if we are to protect this indispensible resource for futuregenerations.

Water cant be taken for granted in our landscape work any more sothan that for other uses. Water falling onto a site, collecting on it, or flow-

ing through it needs to be treated as the valuable resource and essentialelement of the ecosystem that it is. We need to seek and take advantage ofopportunities to use water to build ecological assets such as water gardensof various types. Irrigation water needs to be properly applied to avoidwaste. Landscape design should take water into account, as should plantchoices.

In this issue of the Ecological Landscaper, we take a broad look at some ofthe ways water issues impact our landscape work, give some advice onhow to use water wisely, and offer specific techniques to limit water use.Protecting all our resources, including water, will take everyonesparticipation. Nick Novick

NOTES:

1 One cubic mile equals in excess of one trillion gallons.2 In an attempt to head off the growing trend toward the commodification of

water (private companies taking ownership of water supplies and treating wateras just another commodity to be sold for the highest possible price), the UN hastaken the unprecedented step of declaring water as a public good, a human rightand a limited natural resource and a public commodity fundamental to life andhealth. For more see article at .

3 Published Aug. 12, 2001, in the Toronto Star; full article at

SOURCES:BBC, United Nations, World Water Council, New York Times, U.S. GeologicalSurvey

Water continued from page 1

In general, groundwater sources arethe cleanest and most energy-efficientsource since it is often local, requiresvery little treatment, and is easilyextracted. However, groundwaterreserves can easily be overused and

contaminated. To protect ground-water reserves from contamination,they should be kept at least 50 feetdeep and 200 feet horizontally fromsurface water2.

Nature and water flowModern methods of water flow

management are dependent ontechnology. Mechanical pumps andsteel and concrete materials are thecommon tools. This technology isextremely energy intensive and is

often detrimental to the environment.Controlling the flow of water can eas-ily be accomplished by letting naturedo the work with no energy expendi-tures.

Often referred to as landform engi-neering, its primary goal is to manip-ulate and enhance the natural flowof water to improve the sites abilityto catch, hold, and absorb water.The sites topography can be usedto guide water through constructedswales and depressions. Roots of trees

retain soil more efficiently than con-crete. Certain plants and micro-organ-isms can be used to filter out bacteria,toxins, and heavy metals from sewagerun-off, in effect, acting as a waste-water treatment system.

Swales and contour trenchesSubtle alterations to the site such as

construction of swales and contourtrenches is an effective method ofcollecting and guiding water to stor-age areas or distributing the water

back to the site. Water can be guidedinto vegetated areas such as wetlandsand forests or storage basins such asretention ponds. These depressionsshould be lined with sand or graveland filled with water-harvestingplants which slow down watermovement, cleanse the water, andassist the land in absorbing thewater.

Water continued on page 4

BOXED FACTOIDS throughout this issue were collected from the following

sources: U.S. Geological Survey, NASA, UNESCO, U.S. EPA, National

Geographic, Mass. Dept. of Food and Agriculture, Rocky Mountain Institute,

Maryland Dept. of the Environment, Los Angeles Times, Introduction to Plant

Biology (Stern), National Parks Service, Environmental Effects of

Manufacturing Computer Components by Elaine Tso.


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Water continued from page 3

Retention systemsStormwater retention systems

provide a more environmental andaesthetic alternative to conventionaldrainage systems which often washaway stormwater, preventing it

from replenishing the site. Retentionsystems store runoff water to bereleased slowly and/or absorbed intothe ground. The soil used in thesesystems must be permeable with in-filtration rates of at least 27 inches perhour3. These systems retain the wateron the site and provide flood protec-tion. With some attention to design,these systems can also be made intoattractive parks, using the retentionpond as a focal point.

Water conservationThere are many examples of waste-

ful water practices in American citieswhich could easily be improved. Inthe city of Los Angeles, for example,it is estimated that 50 percent of homewater usage is spent on maintaininglawns and gardens4, most of whichare not indigenous to the semi-aridclimate of Southern California. In fact,Los Angeles watershed map extendsinto 11 states to provide the water

needs for just one city. Much waterdemand could be reduced simply byusing common sense in landscaping,while potable water usage could begreatly reduced by reusing treatedwastewater and graywater (used

water from dishwashers, laundrymachines, and showers).

Water-efficient landscapingIt is plainly evident from all the

previous principles and guidelinesthat site design and landscaping areinherently linked with water. Water-

efficient landscaping therefore, has anenormous impact on the ability of adevelopment to save water. Selectionof plant materials which require lesswater, as opposed to exotic specieswhich tax water supplies, is a priority.In this case, selection of indigenousplants is often the solution. The useof exotic species in arid regions, suchas Kentucky Bluegrass which requiresenormous amounts of water, is justnot sustainable. Indigenous speciesexist because they are able to livein the areas climate and thereforerequire only the amount of water thatthe environment can supply.

Watering plants during eveninghours is a much more sensible alter-native to watering during daylighthours when the sun evaporates muchof the water. Water irrigation timersare available on the market whichassist in more efficient watering ofplants. Reducing the size of lawns isalso an effective method of conserving

water.

Rainwater collectionOnce widely used before the 1950s

in the U.S., this strategy is still appliedin many areas around the globe. Col-lected rainwater from cisterns andcatchbasins can be used to provide forlandscaping needs and can even betreated to be used as potable water.The rainwater is usually collectedfrom rooftops and then stored incisterns and catchbasins for later use.

Depending on the location, it is possi-ble to provide enough water, includ-ing potable water, for all the needs ofthe community. In Hawaii, for exam-ple, rainwater provides all the waterneeds for 25,000 people5.

Wastewater reuse

Wastewater comes in two forms,graywater, which comes fromshowers, laundry machines, and dish-washers; and blackwater, which is thesewage from toilets. In most cases,potable water is used for all thesepurposes, when it is only necessaryfor drinking and cleaning purposes.Reusing graywater for flush toiletsand landscaping can provide enor-mous savings of potable water. Build-ings can be designed or retrofitted toallow for separate drain lines toaccommodate this strategy.

Conventionally, wastewater istreated in expensive, energy-intensivetreatment plants, and eventuallydumped into our rivers, lakes, andoceans. Despite this, over 2,000beaches in the U.S. were closed in 1991due to sewage pollution problems6.Wastewater can be treated and reusedfor irrigation and even potable pur-poses through biological wastewatertreatment such as wetlands. This

serves two purposes, it saves water,and it recycles the pollutants in thewaste as food for the biological treat-ment system. In most cases it is also amore economical alternative to con-ventional treatment facilities.

(This is a chapter excerpted fromPrinciples and Guidelines for SustainableCommunity Design; A study of sustain-able design and planning strategies inNorth America from an urban design

perspective.)

4

W A T E R F A C T S

Amount of water in theatmosphere at any givenmoment: 3,100 cubic miles

Percent of all fresh waterthat figure represents: .001

Depth of coverage if allatmospheric water fell to earthat once: 1 inch

Average daily precipitationon the continental U.S.: 30inches (4 cubic miles)

NOTE: one cubic mile equals onetrillion gallons (more or less)

ENDNOTES:1 National Park Service. Guiding Principle of Sustainable Design (Department of Interior:

Denver, Colo., 1993)2 Ibid.3 John Tillman Lyle. Regenerative Design for Sustainable Development (John Wiley and

Sons: New York, N.Y., 1994).4 Julia Russell, Xeriscape ed. Bob Walter, and Lois Arkin. Sustainable Cities (EcoHome

Media. Los Angeles, Calif., 1992) pp 140.5 Dianna Barnett and William Browning.A Primer on Sustainable Building (Rocky

Mountain Institute: Snowmass, Colo., 1995).6 Larry Stammer, Sewage Forced Closure of 2,000 Beaches in 1991 (Los Angeles Times,

July 24, 1992).


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5

WASHINGTON (Sept. 13)Con-

fronted by parched lawns and with-ered fields, few Americans will besurprised to learn that the summerof 2002 was hotter and drier thannormal.

For the record, the National Cli-matic Data Center reported Fridaythat June through August was thewarmest summer since the 1930sand drought affected about half thecountry.

The average temperature for the 48contiguous states this summer was73.9F.

Thats 1.8 warmer than normal andthe third hottest on record. Warmestwas 1936 and second was 1934.

The report comes just a day after theNational Weather Service forecastedcontinuing dry conditions for much ofthe country through winter. Only theSouthern tier of states are expected tobe wetter than normal.

The data center, part of the NationalOceanic and Atmospheric Adminis-

tration, said no state was significantlycolder than normal in summer andmany were much warmer than aver-age.

There was much below-averagerainfall in 29 states, while the onlywetter-than-average states wereWisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, andNorth Dakota, plus parts of Texasand Florida.

Heavy rainfall eased drought butled to severe flooding in southernand central Texas in early July with

damage estimates reported as high as$1 billion. Strong thunderstorms alsobrought widespread flooding to west-ern Minnesota and North Dakota andresulted in hundreds of millions ofdollars in damage in crop losses inJune.

In many areas, the drought extendsback years. Indeed, the 12 months thatended with August were the driest onrecord for six states: North Carolina,

Virginia, Colorado, Utah, Arizona,

and Nevada. It was the second driest12 months in South Carolina, Georgia,Maryland, Delaware, and Wyoming.

The Climate Center said there wassome drought relief in the Northeastduring the spring and early summer,but a return to below-average rainfallduring July and August led to wors-ening drought there.

Moderate to extreme droughtcovered more than 45 percent of thecontiguous United States during eachof the past three months, the agencysaid.

By comparison, the most wide-spread drought on record occurred inJuly 1934 when 80 percent of the con-tiguous United States was in moderateto extreme drought. And the centerpointed out that studies of tree ringsindicate there have been worsedroughts in the past.

The severity of the 1930s droughtwas likely surpassed by the droughtin the 1570s and 1580s over much of

the western U.S. and northern Mexico,which lasted several decades in partsof the southwestern U.S., NOAAreported.

While the costs of this yearsdrought are not yet known, it hasdiminished water supplies that ledto the need for water restrictions inmany cities, contributed to an activewildfire season and producedextremely difficult farming conditions.

The National Center for Atmos-pheric Research in Boulder, Colo.,

reported Thursday that by the endof August, 6 million acres of mostlyforestan area roughly the size ofNew Hampshirehad been con-sumed by flames across the UnitedStates. Thats double the annual aver-age in wildfire damage with costsestimated at $1.5 billion so far, andlarge fires still burn in the West.

In its summer report, the NationalClimatic Data Center, located in

Asheville, N.C., said the average

global temperature for combined landand ocean surfaces during June-August was 0.8 above the 1880-2001long-term mean, the third-warmestsuch period since recordkeepingbegan in 1880.

Summer was marked by numerousextreme weather events throughoutthe world, including more than 100deaths across Europe as heavy rainfallcaused devastating floods in theCzech Republic, Germany, Austria,Slovakia, Russia, and Romania.

Monsoon rains led to hundreds ofdeaths in northeastern India andBangladesh, and heavy rainfallbrought severe flooding to centralChina.

This and other AP stories in this issue arereprinted by permission of AssociatedPress. Copyright 2002 The AssociatedPress. The information contained in the

AP news report may not be published,broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distrib-

uted without the prior written authorityof The Associated Press.

W A T E R F A C T S

Total amount of earthsatmospheric, surface, andground water: 326 million cubicmiles

Percentage of total mass ofthe earth accounted for byoceans: .02

Percent of earths water

which is fresh water: 2.5-3Proportional amount ofavailable fresh water if all theworlds water were reduced toa gallon: 1 teaspoon

Percent of freshwater whichis tied up in glaciers and polarice: about 75

Percent in groundwaters: 30

Percent in surface waters: .3

U.S. suffers under droughtby Randolph E. Schmid, Associated Press

"Irrigation of the land with seawater desalinated by fusion power is ancient. It's called rain."Michael McClary


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6

DesignDo a thorough site analysis to deter-

mine water-related characteristics ofthe site.

Preserve as much of the existing,desirable, native plants as possible.Incorporate natives and appropriatenonnatives which are not invasive orhave heavy water demands.

Consider on-site water as a valuableresource. Try to reframe drainageproblems as unexpected supplies

of free water. Plan systems to utilizeexcess water.Plan shade into the design. Shade

trees block sun from reaching soil,lowering soil temperatures, andreducing evaporative water loss.Cooling effects from leaf transpirationare also significant. Consider othershade-providers such as espaliers,arbors, fences.

Note prevailing winds and planwindbreaks to reduce evaporativelosses from wind.

Plan zones of water use. Some areassuch as vegetable gardens and bedsnear hardscape areas may need morewater than other areas. Group plantsaccording to water needs to simplifywatering, should it be needed.

Consider reducing or eliminatinglawn areas, especially in locationswhere the existing site characteristicsare not favorable for turfgrass. Forcool-season grasses in the north, fullsun on a south-facing slope and poorsoil will provide an annual challenge

that a lawn is not likely to overcome.Limit lawn to where it will be used,such as for play areas.

Consider native grasses and wild-flower meadows for a low-mainte-nance alternative in areas where alawn would serve no practical use.Once established, properly chosenmeadow plants will survive theharshest of droughts.

Plant selection and plantingTo minimize the need for ongoing

watering, choose plants based on howwell their need for water matches theprevalent site conditions.

Plants native to a region generallyare well adapted to those conditionsand will need little supplementalwatering once established.

Consider the eventual height of theplant at maturity. Will it provideessential shading?

Avoid planting too closely. Allow-ing adequate space between plantswill minimize competition for water.

When appropriate for the chosenplants and economically feasible,incorporate adequate organic matterinto the soil to increase the capacity ofthe soil to hold water. In cases whereamending soil on a large scale isimpractical, consider plants whichgrow well naturally on poorer soils.

Maintenance

Maintaining an adequate mulchlayer on planting beds helps to mod-erate soil temperatures and reduceevaporation.

Water needs for newly plantedtrees, shrubs, and perennials arehigher than for plants which are wellestablished. Watering every few daysmay be needed during excessively hotperiods. Each application of watershould reach to the bottom of the rootzone.

Avoid fertilizing during periods of

stress, including drought.Experiments have shown that appli-

cations of seaweed (kelp) extract canhelp plants tolerate and recover fromdrought and other stresses.

IrrigationCheck systems at least once a year

for proper operation.Most plantings need about one inch

of water per week. On clayey soilswith slower infiltration rates, dividedapplications will help prevent waterloss due to runoff.

Water needs vary during the grow-ing season. Ideally, irrigations systemswill be adjusted throughout the sea-son.

LawnsLeave clippings to add organic mat-

ter to soil.For most of the growing season

mow turf high, at least 2.5 inches, andas high as 3.5 inches; even higher ispossible in areas where a trimmedlook is not important.

Unless prepared to increase water-ing during hot summer months, allowlawns to go dormant then. There maybe some benefit to a very light, daily

watering (.1 inch) to cool the lawnand prevent heat stress. Once temper-atures moderate in the fall, lawnsgrowing in healthy soils with ade-quate organic matter will recoverrelatively quickly from all but themost severe droughts.

Select turf seed species and varietiesbased on site conditions. Some fescuesare more drought tolerant than othertypes, such as bluegrass.

Seed new lawns in late summer orearly fall to ensure best chance of suc-

cess and minimize need for supple-mental watering. Newly seeded lawnsneed be watered only enough to keepseed damp by frequent applications ofsmall amounts of water.

Nick Novick

A quick review of some water-conservingpractices for landscaping

"We forget that the water cycle and the life cycle are one."Jacques Cousteau

Water sustains all.Thales of Miletus, 600 B.C.


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Raingarden

plants

7

In some cases, it may be difficult orimpractical to solve drainage prob-lemsby diverting or reducing thewater flowing into areas of a property.On some properties, water may collectat certain times of the year, or afterheavy rains. This can result from soilswith a large clay content, surfacerunoff patterns, roof water accumula-tion, etc. It may not be easy or practi-cal to solve these drainage problems

with solutions such as undergrounddrainage, dispersion, or other meth-ods.

In some of these instances, a raingarden may be one solution. Plantsadapted to occasional inundation canbe installed to create a garden or bedin what otherwise might be consid-ered problem areas. By making slightchanges in grading, water can be col-lected into selected spots.

In nature, plants which grow on

river and stream banks and wet mead-ows are appropriate choices for raingardens, but some upland species canalso tolerate occasional periods of wet-ness.

The mostly native trees, shrubs,and perennials listed at right (slightlymodified as taken from the November2002 issue of The Avant Gardener) willdo well in wet to occasionally saturat-ed soil conditions. (This is not a com-prehensive listing.)

Numerous grasses, sedges, and

rushes will also do well in rain gardenconditions, as will many ferns includ-ingAthyrium felix-femina (Lady Fern),Osmunda cinnamomea (Cinnamon Fern,and Thelypteris novebotacensis (NewYork Fern). Suitable bulbs that willtolerate temporary flooding includethe genera Canna, Camassia, Crinum,Eucomis, Hymenocallis, Zantedeschia,and Zephyranthes.

Acer rubrum (Red Maple),Alnus (Alder),Amelanchier (Serviceberry),

Betula nigra (River Birch), Celtis laevigata (Southern Hackberry),

Chionanthus virginicus (Virginia Fringetree), Fraxinus pennsylvanica (Green

Ash), Larix laricina (Tamarack), Liquidambar styraciflua (Sweet Gum),

Nyssa sylvatica (Sour gum), Platanus acerifolia (London Plane),

Populus tremuloides (Quaking Aspen), Quercus bicolor (Swamp Oak) and

Q. palustris (Pin Oak), Taxodium distichum (Bald Cypress),

Thuja (Arborvitae)

Aronia arbutifolia (Red Chokeberry), Cephalanthus occidentalis (Buttonbush),

Clethra alnifolia (Summersweet), Cornus alba sibirica (Tartarian Dogwood),

C. amomum (Silky Dogwood), C. sanguea (Bloodtwig Dogwood), C. sericea

(Redosier Dogwood), Dirca palustris (Leatherwood), Ilex cassine (Dahoon

Holly), I. glabra (Inkberry), I. verticillata (Winterberry), I. vomitoria (Yaupon

Holly), Kalmia latifolia (Mountain Laurel), Leucothoe fontanesiana (Droopng

Leucothoe), Lindera benzoin (Spicebush),Myrica cerifera (Southern

Waxmyrtle),M. pennsylvanica (Bayberry), Nemopanthus mucronatus

(Mountain Holly), Rhododendron arborescens (Sweet Azalea), R. canadense

(Rhodora), R. periclymenoides (Pinxterbloom Azalea), R. vaseyi (PinkshellAzalea), Rosa palustris (Swamp Rose), Sambucus canadensis (American

Elder), Vaccinium (Blueberry), Viburnum cassinoides (Witherod Viburnum),

V. dentatum (Arrowwood Viburnum), V. trilobum (Cranberry Viburnum)

Asclepias incarnata (Swamp Milkweed),Aster novae-belgii (New York

Aster),Aster novae-anglie (New England Aster),Astilbe, Astrantia major

(Masterwort), Echinacea purpurea (Purple Coneflower), Eupatoreummaculatum (Spotted Joe-Pye Weed), Filipendula rubra (Queen of the Prairie),

Dicentra, Gentiana, Hemerocalis (Daylily),Hostas, Iris versicolor (Northern

Blue Flag), I. fulva (Copper Iris), Liatris pycnostachya (Prairie Blazing Star),

Lilium superbum (Turks Cap Lily), Lobelia cardinalis (Cardinal Flower),

Rudbeckia subtomentosa (Sweet Coneflower), Silphium, Stokesia laevis

(Stokes Aster), Trollius (Globeflower), Veronicastrum virginicum

(Culvers Root)

perennials

shrubs

trees

Rain does not fall on one roof alone.proverb from Cameroon


8/20

Wise wateringMaking the best useof applied water

by Cheryl Lowe and Nick Novick

We all breathed a sigh of relief whenthe first autumn rains began to fallafter a summer of so much heat anddrought. Perhaps you thought youwere off the hook. But implementingwater-wise landscaping practicesover the long term, not just whenwe are forced to do it, pays off bothecologically and economically.

These practices can range fromdesign considerations to maintenancetechniques to appropriate plant selec-tion. Effective design might mean

decreasing lawn area or clusteringplants so they not only shade andprotect each other from desiccatingwinds, but also accommodate distinc-tive irrigation cycles. Maintenancetechniques include mulches; deep,but less frequent watering; addingorganic matter to soils; or avoidingpruning, fertilizing, or planting inwater-stressed areas. When selectingplants, remember that less stressmeans more resistance to disease andpests, so select species adapted to theenvironmental conditions of yoursite.

With all other measures taken,there still may come a need to water.At that point, the goal is to get waterto the plants in your landscape in the

most effective and efficient way.Understanding your soil type and itsinfiltration rate is essential to efficientwatering. If your sprinklers areapplying .5 inch of water per hour,only sandy soils and sandy loams(infiltration rates of one inch and .5inch/hour respectively) can absorb

everything that you apply. When youapply that same rate to loam, half thewater will run off, since infiltrationrates for loam are approximately .25inch/hour). The infiltration rate iseven less if the site is sloped. Clayloam absorbs only .15 inches/hour.*Useful tools to help in your questfor water-wise gardening include anumber of small containers (tuna orpet food cans work fine) to measurewater as it is being applied, a soilprobe, and a shovel.

Although mulches are efficient atpreventing water from evaporatingfrom the soil surface, they can also bea barrier to water absorption if theydry out, or, if they are applied tooheavily. Last August, I (Cheryl) tookthe time to compare water applica-tion rates to depth of moistened soilin several different situations (sun,shade, loam, sand, etc.). The sites hadnot been watered all summer, so thesoil was bone dry. In a loamy soil, I

applied two inches of water over 5.5hours using an oscillating sprinkler.The soil was moist down to an 8-inchdepth, but only where the soil wasnot protected by a dry, 3-inch layerof woodchip mulch. With the mulch,the water reached only 1 inch into thesoil, as it took most of the water tomoisten the mulch first. In a similarexperiment in an uncultivated wood-land site, a 2-inch layer of fine forestduff absorbed over 4 inches of water,and no moisture reached the soil. In

a nearby test spot (sandy soil and .5inch of forest duff) the soil was mois-tened 8 inches into the soil.

Because excessive mulch can pre-vent water from reaching plant rootsor even the soilit is important notto apply too much fresh mulch overincompletely decomposed, existingmulch. Annual applications of manyinches of mulchespecially barkmulch, which, because of its high

wax content, breaks down fairlyslowly compared to leaf mold, com-post, and some other mulchescanprevent water from reaching the soil.

So, how to apply the water? Thereare many different systems to do thejob. Choosing a system will dependon the area you need to water, what

is being watered, your budget, etc.If you need irrigation, here are someoptions.

Permanent, in-ground systems arecommon for lawns. They are compli-cated enough that professional instal-lation is required, and the cost is rela-tively high. These systems are mostoften set to go on for a certain periodof time at set intervals, and there areoverrides available which turn thesystem off when it is raining. Thesensors need to be checked regularlyto work properly.

A common mistake is to set thesystem to run frequently for shortperiods of time. This results in shal-low water penetration into the soil,and shallow-rooted turf. Applyingone inch of water per week is a good,rule-of-thumb guide; this can beapplied in split applications of ahalf inch every few days. The exactamount needed will depend on soiland grass type, temperature, etc.

In general, unless they are adjustedregularly, such automatic sprinklerstend to waste large amounts of waterbecause they fail to compensate forchanging conditions.

Smaller lawns can be watered withwith oscillating or impulse sprinklersattached to the end of a garden hose.The inconvenience of setting these upand putting them away every timethey are needed is compensated bythe low initial cost and the ability tomore easily apply water only as it is

needed. On the more expensive mod-els, there is usually some capacity toadjust the spray pattern.

For trees, shrubs, and flowers, abetter option is a system whichapplies water directly to the ground,as opposed to the aerial applicationprovided by sprinklers. Watersprayed on foliage can contribute toconditions which lead to the develop-ment and spread of diseases, so,

8

W A T E R F A C T S

Percent of all fresh wateravailable for plants: .001

Average percentage of fresh

plant weight contributed bywater: 75

Gallons of water utilizedby a typical hardwood treeto produce a pound of greenwood: 120

Gallons of water transpiredby an average-sized, 200,000-leaf birch tree during a grow-ing-season day: 200-1,000


9/20

Children of a culture born in a water-rich environment, we have never really learnedhow important water is to us. We understand it, but we do not respect it.William Ashworth, Nor Any Drop to Drink, 1982

9

Because of recent periods of drought,beginning as early as last spring, anumber of towns in eastern Massa-chusetts have instituted some sort ofoutdoor water-use restrictions.

One of my landscape design clientslives in a town that had been on atotal outside water ban for the last18 months. He has spent many hoursand dollars beautifying his propertywith trees, shrubs, and perennials.He has a very small lawn that was

mostly clover and crabgrass this sum-mer. He was resigned to relying onwhatever rain might come and thedishpan water to save some of hisprized plant possessions yet againthis summer.

He had been a ban-abiding citizenfor 18 months, but, in mid-Augustafter six straight days of temperaturesover or close to 100, and with manyplants flagging to the point of nearlylying on the ground, or, worse, sport-ing crispy, brown leaveshe couldnttake it any longer.

Under cover of darkness, he brokethe rules and turned the soaker hoseson in the hillside gardens whichbaked under full sun. The next daythere were a few spots here and therewhere the earth looked darker fromthe moisture but there was no knockon the door; he had done it and hewas glad he did. He was so embold-ened by his previous evenings guer-rilla action that he moved the soakers

farther down to water yet anothervery crispy area, but, alas, the nextmorning the water police were at hisdoor to serve him with a $200 fine.

The homeowner did seem a bitremorseful as he was relating thestory. He didnt like to break the

rules, but still justified his actionwith, and I quote, It was worth itthis one time, I would have spentmore than $200 to replace the plantsthat I would have surely lost. Imglad I did it!

This homeowner is a very con-scientious gardenerhe chose plantscarefully for the site conditions,incorporated organic matter when heplanted, used soaker hoses to targetwater use carefully; even recycled his

dishwashing water to water plants.Was he right to water or not?I guess the answer lies somewherebetween a rock and a hard place.

Kathy Sargent-ONeill

other things being equal, it is better toavoid unnecessary wetting of foliage.(And, if you do have an in-groundsystem watering a mixed plantingin addition to the lawn, those areasshould be on a separate zone becausemuch less water is needed there thanfor the lawn.)

Two popular, on-ground systemsare soaker hoses and drip systems.The most common soaker hose is onemade of recycled rubber. The hoseweeps slowly from its entire length,and so, releases water very slowly tothe soil. They work well for fairlyshort runs (200 feet or less) and forlevel sites. Any slope of more than afew degrees will result in little or nowater reaching sections of the hoseat the highest elevations in the run.Depending on the length of the runand the pressure at the faucet, pres-sure reducers may need to beinstalled at the beginning of the runto help produce even weeping overthe length of the hose.

Drip systems (Rain Bird is one pro-ducer) are a bit more expensive, butmore versatile. A solid, plastic pipe(usually .5 inches in diameter) carriesthe water. Wherever an emitter isneeded, a hole is poked, and any of avariety of available emitter types is

installed. This allows application ofwater right where it is needed.Choices for emmitters include dripand spray types in a range of flowrates, so a high degree of precision ispossible. Plus, the system can beadjusted or modified as conditionschange.

For both types of drip systems, anysediment in the supply water can clogor slow the flow, especially for thesoaker hoses which will eventuallyget clogged by even the smallest sized

particles. An inexpensive filter canbe installed to catch any sedimentpresent in the water.

*from The Chemical-Free LawnbyWarren Schultz, Chapter 6, WaterWisdom

Cheryl Lowe is the Horticulture Directorfor the New England Wild Flower Societyand a former board member of ELA.

W A T E R F A C T S

Percent of adult humanbody weight contributed bywater: 50-65 (70-75 in children)

Average daily householduse of water per person in theU.S.: 75-80 gallons

Percent increase in thatamount over the past 30 years:75

Total daily U.S. water use(agricultural, industrial, house-hold): 35 billion gallons

In U.S., percent of all publicand private utility-suppliedwater accounted for by house-

holds: 47Percent of that which goesto outdoor uses: 30-50

Percent of outdoor wateruse accounted for by lawnirrigation: 30-40

For many of us, water simply flows from a faucet, and we think little about it beyondthis point of contact. We have lost a sense of respect for the wild river, for the complexworkings of a wetland, for the intricate web of life that water supports.Sandra Postel, Last Oasis: Facing Water Scarcity

Do the right thing?!(To water or not to water, that is the question)


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LONDONSome of the world'srichest countriesincluding theUnited States and Japanlag behindsome developing nations in makingthe best use of water, according toa new grading system published yes-terday [Dec. 11, 2002].

The United States was rated theworld's most wasteful user of waterby the first Water Poverty Index.

Finland was ranked highest on theindex, which graded 147 countriesaccording to resources, access, capac-ity, use, and environmental impact.The rest of the top 10 were Canada,Iceland, Norway, Guyana, Suriname,Austria, Ireland, Sweden, and Swit-zerland.

The 10 countries at the bottom of theindex were: Haiti, Niger, Ethiopia,Eritrea, Malawi, Djibouti, Chad,Benin, Rwanda, and Burundi.

Issues raised by the index are to be

discussed in March at the WorldWater Forum in Japan.

The links between poverty, socialdeprivation, environmental integrity,water availability, and health becomeclearer in the (index), enabling policy-makers and stakeholders to identifywhere problems exist and the appro-priate measures to deal with theircauses, said Caroline Sullivan, wholed the team developing the WaterPoverty Index at the Center forEcology & Hydrology in Wallingford,England. The center is part of theBritish government-funded NaturalEnvironment Research Council.

One-fifth of the world's populationin 30 countries faced water shortagesin 2000, a figure that will rise to 30percent of the population, in 50 coun-tries, by 2025, according to the WorldWater Council based in Marseilles,France.

Water demand is increasing threetimes as fast as the population growthrate even though no new water can becreated anywhere on this planet, saidWorld Water Council president Mah-moud Abu Zeid.

The Water Poverty Index assignsup to 20 points in each of its five cate-gories, meaning a country that meetsthe criteria in all five categories would

have a score of 100. The highest-rank-ing country, Finland, has a WaterPoverty Index of 78 points, whileHaiti rates 35.

Iceland, Ireland, Spain, Japan, andAustria were rated tops in the capac-ity category, which defines a country'sability to purchase, manage, andlobby for improved water, education,and health.

The bottom five were Sierra Leone,Niger, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, and theCentral African Republicsome of

the world's poorest nations.The United States was ranked 32nd

overall in the index, but last in effi-ciency.

The U.S. is at a relatively lowposition because of wasteful or ineffi-cient water use practices in domestic,industry, and agriculture, saidWilliam Cosgrove of the World WaterCouncil. This is illustrated by the factthat per-capita water consumption isthe highest in the world.

Japan ranked 34th, with a low scoreon environmental factors.

The World Water Council is a non-profit, nongovernmental organizationmade up of 313 members, includingUN agencies, other NGOs, and publicand private groups.

This story ran on page A37 of the BostonGlobe on 12/12/2002. Reprinted here by

permission of Associated Press.

10

W A T E R F A C T S

Gallons water required to

produce a single serving oflettuce: 6

Gallons of water requiredto produce a single serving ofsteak: 2,600

Gallons of water requiredin the manufacture of semi-conductors and printed circuitboards in one personalcomputer: about 12,000

C L I M A T E S T A T SWarmest year in recordedhistory: 1998

Second warmest year inrecorded history: 2002

Third warmest year inrecorded history: 2001

Fourth warmest year inrecorded history: 1997

Number of years of the past10 not in the top 10 warmeston record: 1

A N D O T H E RD E E P T H O U G H T S

Amount sea level has risenin the last 100 years: 6 to 8inches

Amount of water held inand below earths mantle (toplayer), not including ground-water, suggested by recentstudies: 5 to10 times theamount on the surface

For all the darkness that presentlyconfronts us and our descendants, thereis no reason to give up. There is everyreason to take up the fight, because wehave within our grasp the power of the

people to force the right decisions.Jacques Cousteau

In every glass of water we drink, some of the water has already passed through fishes, trees, bacteria, worms in the soil, and manyother organisms, including people....Living systems cleanse water and make it fit, among other things, for human consumption.

Elliot A. Norse,Animal Extinctions

U.S. rated higheston wasteful water use

by Sue Leeman, Associated Press


11/20

11

LANDSCAPE IRRIGATION SCHEDULINGEfficient irrigation scheduling involves understandinglawn and plant water needs and setting thefrequencyand duration of irrigations accordingly. Knowing whenand how much water is needed and adjusting irrigationschedules in response to changing plant and weathercharacteristics is critical to efficient water use andoptimal plant health. Determining how much and how

often water is needed is site-specific.Lawns and landscapes are typically watered too often

and too long. Many irrigated lawns and landscapedareas can thrive on a watering schedule of once or twicea week for periods of no more than 15 to 30 minutes.Less time is usually better than more. People some-times overwater when they see brown spots that theyassume were caused by insufficient water. This is notalways the case. Brown spots can be caused by multiplesources, including high salinity levels in the soil, over-application of lawn chemicals, nematodes, and animals.In addition, overwatering can increase lawn and plantviruses, fungi, and insectsconditions that also createbrown areas. During hot summer months or periods ofdrought, many homeowners and landscape managersbelieve that the only way to keep lawns and plantsalive is to deluge them with water. Such practices notonly raise water bills but also increase runoff, plantdiseases, root rot, brown spots, and mowing andmaintenance costs.

Overwatering seems to be more common with single-family properties and other lawns and landscapesthat rely on automatic irrigation systems. Automaticirrigation systems are run by controllers programmedto set the days, time of day, and length of time that

each irrigation valve or station will operate. Whenprogrammed properly, the controller can boost waterefficiency by giving turf and plants just the rightamount of water, in just the right places, for the mini-mum amount of time needed. In reality, however, theaverage water-use efficiency of automatic irrigationsystems is about 50 percent. In other words, for everytwo gallons of water applied, one is wasted.

Sipping from Amy VickersHandbook of Water Use and Conservation

Odd/evenirrigationschedules canincrease water use

Communities sometimesestablish every-other-daywatering schedulesfor

example, during a droughtbut watering schedules ofthis frequency are generallydiscouraged now becauseexperience has shown thatthey often lead to overwa-tering. Schedules based onodd/even house numbersmay appeal to consumersbecause they are easy toremembere.g., residentsat even-numbered addressesmay use water outdoors onTuesday, Thursday, andSaturday, and residents atodd-numbered addressesmay use water outdoors onWednesday, Friday, andSunday. However, home-owners under odd/evenschedules sometimesassume that they shouldwater every other day, eventhough they didnt before.

Outdoor water use

The amount of outdoorwater use in a given regionor within a particularcustomer group is usuallycorrelated with four keyfactors: climate, amount ofrainfall, water rates and thetotal cost of water, andhousehold income.Ona per-capita basis, outdoorwater use by apartmentdwellers in multifamilyunits tends to be low oreven negligible and istypically much lower than

that of residents of single-family homes in a givenarea when measured byhousehold unit. Exceptionscan include customers livingin affluent multifamilycomplexes featuring largeirrigated landscaped areas,swimming pools, fountains,and maintenance practicesinvolving water, such assidewalk cleaning.

Moisture sensorsHandheld tensiometersand moisture sensors arerelatively inexpensive, areavailable at lawn andgarden stores, and give amoisture reading when theprobe is pushed into thesoil. Handheld sensorsare useful for people whoirrigate manually, eitherwith a hose or a sprinklerthey turn on and off.In-place moisture monitorsare used with automaticirrigation systems. Theyalso have a probe that isinserted into the ground,plus a wire connectingthem to an irrigation systemcontroller.Used properly,moisture sensors can boostirrigation water efficiencyand save water.

Conservation or efficiencymeasurescan be groupedinto two general categories:

(1) hardwaredevices orequipment

(2) behavior ormanagement

practices

At $99.95, Vickers book would be ideal to stock in areference library or employed as a course guide. Its rangeis broad, looking at water conservation within the house-hold, in business, industry, and agricultural applications.Reprinted on this page are excerpts from the section onlandscaping. Vickers, a member of ELA, promotes the useof native plants and other sustainable practices.

Handbook of Water Use and Conservation: Homes, Landscapes, Busi-nesses, Industries, Farms by Amy Vickers (WaterPlow Press, 2001) ISBN1-931579-07-5. Toll-free orders call 866-367-3300. More details about thebook are available at www.waterplowpress.com.


12/20

12

ELA news

PRESIDENTS MESSAGE

Keeping things in order

Making a list, lately checking itabout four or five times a day! Idont know about you all, but lifehas been in overdrive these days. Forevery to do that gets checked off, itseems like two take its place.

Im not complaining, just realizingthat if I dont write things down andcheck them frequently, all sorts ofthings slip by, important things andstuff I really want to do. Ive beentold that memory is an age thing, butI thinkat the tender age of 53thatits a busy thing! Anyway, I hopeyou all have had a very full andprosperous year and that this listwill help you remember some of thethings that are important to you, too,so they dont slip by:

The Remember To Do List

ANYTIMERemember to renew our commit-ment to be more ecologically mind-ed in our landscaping endeavors.Were the ones who can make a dif-

ference in what we do and how weapproach the many challenges thatwell be facing in the coming year.Check out the ELA Web page for information about upcom-ing educational events and confer-ences, links to other interesting Websites (share your favorites with us),and ELA news updates.

JANUARYRemember to renew your mem-

bership in ELA. The renewal letterwill be mailed out soon, with thenew membership categories andtheir benefits. Please review theinformation sheet enclosed with theletter, update your member informa-tion if necessary, and return it alongwith your check. Your support isessential to the organization. Thankyou.Check your mailbox in earlyJanuary for the brochure for theexpanded, two-day, 9th Winter

Conference. If you need extra copies,or need more information, visit ourWeb site to download what youneed, or call the phone line (617)436-5838, with your request.Attend the ELA round table,Designing the Landscape withWater in Mind, Jan. 8. (Call for abrochure; registration is requiredfor all round tables.)

FEBRUARYRemember to stop by the ELAtable at New England Grows (Feb. 6-8). Wed love to see you and hearwhat youve been up to.Attend the ELA round table, Turfand Landscape: Keeping Water inMind, Feb. 12.Attend the ELA Winter Confer-ence and Eco-Marketplace sched-uled for Feb. 28 and March 1, 2003.This two-day event will be heldat the Boxborough Holiday Inn,Boxborough, Mass. This years eventfeatures educational presentations

both in the classroom and on theshow floor and will showcase eco-logical products and services. This isa great opportunity to learn some-thing new, renew old acquaintances,and make some new ones.

MARCHAttend the ELA round table TheGreat American Lawn; Alternativesand Cost Benefits, on March 29.

SPRINGRead the first installment ofELAs Guide to Healthy Land-

scapes, a manual designed to pro-vide easily accessible information onecological landscaping methods.

JULYIf you can plan ahead that far,think about attending the ELAAnnual Meeting and SummerForum which, typically, is held thethird Wednesday of July. Moreinformation will be available closerto the date.

And, for the Down Time (is there

really such a thing?), Im sure you allhave lots of your own stuff to add tothe list.

Oh, just thought of one more veryimportant item to add, and its towish you all a happy, healthy, pros-perous, and environmentally soundNew Year. See, its good to check thelist at least twiceHappy NewYear!

Kathy Sargent-ONeill

NEW MEMBERSHIP CATEGORIES: To better serveour members and support our growth, we have restructuredthe membership categories and rates, which had beenunchanged for a number of years. This change will takeeffect with the next renewal cycle in January 2003.

For nonprofessionals, homeowners, and others, the asso-ciate level offers an easy way to support our mission andprograms. The professional level provides benefits to helpbuild your business and to keep you connected to a vital,

growing network of ecologically minded colleagues. And,the higher levels offer additional perks and provide ELAwith much needed support.

We encourage you to renew or join at the highest levelthat is comfortable for you. We will continue to work hardto make ELA valuable to you, and we are grateful for yourcontinued support. Watch for renewal forms in the mailsoon.

As always, we welcome your comments and input.


13/20

2002-2003 round table series:

considering water during dry times

This seasons round tables will focus on issues of water use, quality, and conser-vation in the landscape, especially in times of drought.ELAs round tables are designed to provide for plenty of interaction among and

between both the audience and presenters. To this end, registration is limited to40, so be sure to call our phone line at (617) 436-5838 to request a registration form.Fee is $25 for ELA members and $35 for non members.

Because of a number of scheduling issues, there is no round table scheduledfor December. The first one will be in January. The schedule is as follows:

January 8, 2003, 1:30-4 p.m.Designing the landscape with water in mind

at the Broadmoor Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary, Natick, Mass.

Speakers Peter Phippin, with the Merrimack Valley Planning Council, and JeanAkers, of the Conway School of Landscape Design, will discuss the impact ofrecent droughts and the consequences for water supplies. Other watershed issuesand how to accommodate hydrologic functions in the design and planningprocess will also be considered. Case studies and sample projects will be used todemonstrate practical, innovative development alternatives that preserve hydro-logic functions and ecological integrity.

February 12, 2003, 1:30-4 p.m.Turf and landscape; keeping water in mind

at Tower Hill Botanic Garden, Boylston, Mass.

Learn how to be part of the solution by incorporating environmentally sensitivetechniques in you business. Most of the techniques are easy to adopt; have imme-diate, positive environmental benefits, and are based on common sense. (Speakers

not yet finalized as we go to print.)

March 29, 2003, 9 a.m.-12 p.m.The great American lawn

at Arnold Arboretum Hunnewell Building, 125 Arborway,Jamaica Plain, Mass. (cosponsored by Arnold Arboretum)

Lisa Vernegaard, with the Trustees of Reservations and contributing author ofRedesigning the American Lawn, and Tom Akin, assistant grounds superintendent atthe Arnold Arboretum and ELA board member, will provoke us to think aboutwhy wehomeowners and landscape professionalsmake the landscape choiceswe do. Lisa will examine the history of lawns and the implications this crop hason our water supply. Tom will demonstrate how lawns can be beautiful andhealthy without using chemical fertilizers, pesticides, and excessive irrigation.

13

2002 annual appeal

Thanks to everyone who hasgenerously responded to ELAs

annual appeal this fall. Contri-butions are still coming in, andwe are grateful for your help. Inthese challenging financial times,outside funding sources have anincreasingly difficult time meet-ing all the requests they receive.While we will continue to pursuegrants and other inputs, wedepend in large measure onmember support to support ourprograms and keep us movingforward.

If you havent yet responded,its never too late. Contributionsof any amount are always wel-come and appreciated. Your tax-deductible contributions can besent to ELA, 60 Thoreau Street#252, Concord, MA 01742. Thankyou!

ELA receives grantELA is proud to announce that

we are the recipient of a generous

grant of $2,000 from the Cross-roads Community Foundation.This is an extremely competitiveyear for funding and ELA wasone of eight organizations select-ed from 49 proposals. We aregrateful for the Foundations sup-port of our mission and programsin the Metrowest (Massachusetts)service area. We plan to allocatethis money to capacity build-ing, that is, staff support andmembership development.

ELA retreats but only for a day. In October, theELA board held its annual retreat, this year at MassachusettsAudubons Broad Meadow Brook Conservation Center andWildlife Sanctuary in Worcester. The full-day session withfacilitator Rhua Stakely provided an opportunity to considerin depth specific issues that there isnt sufficient time to takeup during the regular board meetings.

This year, the focus was on sharpening ELAs definition

of itself: What really constitutes ecological landscaping?Where do we fit among other organizations? How are weunique? How can we more clearly describe the organizationto prospective members and supporters?

Intensive discussion, brainstorming, and summation ses-sions produced a lot of good thinking and output which wewill continue to digest, refine, and integrate into our pro-gram and materials in the coming months.

"We call upon the waters that rim the earth, horizon to horizon, that flow in our rivers and streams,that fall upon our gardens and fields, and we ask that they teach us and show us the way."Chinook Blessing


14/20

14

Meet yourboard of

directors (continued)In the last issue, we began to introduce thediverse and eclectic members of our boardof directors. Following are the descriptions

for the balance of the board.

M.L Altobellieducation committee chair,

manual and marketplace coordinator,steering committee,continuing director

Ive been part of the ELA board sinceits inception. Ive been most involvedwith the educational component ofELA. Im currently working on TheGuide to Healthy Landscapes and the neweco-marketplace.

I run a small horticultural servicebusiness in north-central Massachu-setts. It includes design, installation,and maintenance of annuals, perenni-als, trees, and shrubs. I love color andvariety and Im not fond of lawns! Iuse organic soil development as the

foundation of all of the gardens, but Ido not consider myself an organic land-scaper and probably never will. Myclients do not care what I do as long asthe gardens look great, and I prefer theflexibility of looking at all of the factorsinvolved in a given garden and makingthe best decision available for both theclient and the environment.

My favorite part of ecological land-scaping is creating healthy soils andtherefore creating an environmentfor healthy plants and people. Im

currently working with brewed com-post teas (Dr. Elaine Inghams work)and soil remineralization for weaktrees.

Jim Marzillinew director

I am in my sixth term in the Massa-chusetts House of Representatives,

representing Arlington and WestMedford. I maintain a 6,000-square-foot, ecologically sustainable, suburbangarden with an emphasis on plantsnative to the East Coast.

I am active in a wide range of envi-ronmental policy issues. I serve on twopublic-private partnerships organizedby the U.S. Fisheries and WildlifeService, working to restore nativeplant species and removing nonnative,invasive species. I initiated the GreenStreets, Green Cities program to restoreurban green areas using volunteers andnative plants. I am active at the nationallevel in urban forestry issues.

I am a member of the Board ofTrustees of New England Wild FlowerSociety and, now, the Ecological Land-scaping Association. I was namedEnvironmental Legislator of the Yearby the Environmental League ofMassachusetts in 2001.

Nick Novick

newsletter editor,steering committee,continuing director

Ive been actively involved with ELAfor about six years now. My time inlandscaping extends only a little longerthan that, having shifted from a 10-yearstint where photography was mostlyresponsible for paying the bills. Despitean academic background in naturalsciences (B.S. Environmental Conserva-tion, UNH), until recently i had been

mostly working in publications pro-duction and photography. And here iam with ELA, still blending most ofthose interests.

Additional training in landscapingand horticulture included UMassExtensions Green School; the certificateprogram at New England Wild Flower

Society; numerous symposia and con-ferences (including the excellent NativePlants in the Landscape conference inMillersville, Pa., the New Directions in

the American Landscape symposium inPennsylvania and Connecticut, and, ofcourse, ELAs own Winter Conference).

Despite a missing gene for businessmanagement, im currently running myown small landscaping design andinstallation business in eastern Massa-chusetts. That i have yet to do anyadvertising for the businessbut am asbusy as i want to beattests to thegrowing demand for a different kind oflandscaping service. I concentrate onnatural plantings (meadows, wood-

land/shade gardens, native plants), butalso do a fair amount of lawn fertilityand pest management, hardscape work,etc.

My motivation to enter the landscap-ing field was based, in large part, on aconcern for the environment, and isuppose one could say i even take anactivists approach in my work when-ever i can. When possible, i try to viewclients properties as opportunities torestore part of the environment to ahealthier state.

The personal and professional con-nections ive made through ELA havebeen invaluable in the growth of myprofessional knowledge, and have ledto some great friendships and acquain-tances. Im grateful to be involved withsuch a fine group of dedicated, funpeople.

As health and environment concernscontinue to grow, the kind of informa-tion ELA provides will be increasinglyimportant. A still relatively young and

small organization, ELA will face newchallenges as it grows to the next levelof organizational maturity. I look for-ward to helping ELA develop in itscapacity to provide practical informa-tion on sustainable tools and facilitateconnections between people in thespirit of our mission.

ELA news continued


15/20

Chris OBrienvice-president, steering committee,

continuing director

I joined the ELA about two years ago

because it is one of the few organiza-tions concerned primarily with theenvironmental effects of the workperformed by landscape professionals.I agreed to serve on the Board of theELA because I think that my previousexperience working on the boards ofsimilar organizations can contribute toachieving the goals of ELA.

Previous experience includes workfor trade, professional, and other not-for-profit organizations, as well as in

the energy area. I currently helpoperate Howard Garden Designs Inc.,which is a landscape design and buildfirm based in Newton, Mass.

Like most gardeners, I spend a lotof time fiddling around with our owngardens, but I also am interested inblacksmithing and the creation of ironworks for the garden and house.

Tom Smarrmembership chair,continuing director

My appreciation for nature developedduring my youthful days in the moun-tains of north central Pennsylvania.As a result, in part, of my several yearsof frolicking through the forests andfarm fields, I studied EnvironmentalStudies at a little-known school calledSlippery Rock University of Pennsyl-vania (located north of Pittsburgh).

After completing my BS degree, amore demanding call to horticultureimmersed me into the beautiful world

of public gardens. During my severalyears of work experience and studies,I found myself in Seattle, Wash. There,I worked as a gardener and nurserysalesman, and was the interim Edu-cation/Outreach Coordinator for theCenter for Urban Horticulture. I alsocompleted a masters degree in UrbanHorticulture, specializing in public

garden management and outreach,from the University of Washington.After completing my degree, it wasonly natural for me to find my way

back to native plant horticulture. Cur-rently, I am a horticulturist at Gardenin the Woods, the botanical garden ofthe New England Wild Flower Society.

I have a wide range of horticulturalinterests, plus many other related inter-ests. I am very dedicated to the educa-tion of professionals and the publicabout environmentally friendly land-scaping concepts that will enhance andbuild healthier surroundings for ourcommunities. I look forward to servingELA as a board member and providing

my expertise and enthusiasm to thegrowth of our organization.

Sue Storertreasurer, steering committee,

continuing director

I have been on ELAs board of directorsfrom its inception in the early 90s. Thisorganization has given me the informa-tion and support I have needed to put(at least some of) my ideals into practicein my landscaping work. Over the past10 years, I have helped coordinate theorganic lawn-care standards group;have organized round tables, annualmeetings, and board retreats; and haveserved as president, secretary, and nowtreasurer. It has been a thrill to see whatthis group has been able to accomplishtogether so far, and I am very excitedabout our goals for the next severalyears.

My work in horticulture began in thefields at Weston Nurseries (including a

stint as a mule driver). I have workedas the horticulturist at Garden in theWoods, ran my own garden design andmaintenance business, and managed anold estate undergoing massive renova-tions (it had all the elements of a goodBritish sitcom). I am currently workingpart time as a subcontractor doinggarden installation and maintenance.

Diane Syversonpublic relations coordinator,

steering committee,new director

I am honored to be joining the board ofELA, a group with a mission and anorganization to lead the way for otherregions of the country.

For many years I worked within thearboretum and botanic garden commu-nity, with elementary school childrenand teachers. Then my job was to findways to encourage learners to thinkmore deeply and often about plants.To build their understanding abouthow incredibly interesting plants are

and how we depend upon them for life.A stimulating professional networkwas automatically part of working atthe Arnold Arboretum in Jamaica Plain,Mass.

Now I am starting a small gardendesign business. I am especially curiousto find ways to help clients developtheir own awareness of their homeslandscape ecology. This is a compli-cated job. To succeed, I need a profes-sional network which shares a commit-ment to changing the way we value the

ecology of placein our gardens andcommunities. A network to help mestay interested and informed. Onewith which to share and develop ideas,stretch thinking, trade frustrations.Many thanks to those who founded theEcological Landscaping Association.I am pleased to be a member!

* * *

Note: Terry Bastian has resigned fromthe board for personal reasons.

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More on treated wood

As reported in the last issue of TheEcological Landscaper (CCA wood to bephased out by 2004), one organization

(Environmental Working Group) castdoubt on EPA assurances that it didnot believe there is any reasonto remove or replace arsenic-treatedstructures.

Another group reaffirms theseconcerns. The New York Coalitionfor Alternatives to Pesticides [353Hamilton St., Albany, NY 12210; phone(518) 426-8246] has been testing play-ground structures in New York State.According to the summer 2002 issue ofthe NYCAP newsletter, preliminary

results indicate [arsenic] levels that areover 40 times higher than the clean-up recommendations from the NewYork State Department of Environ-mental Conservation. Contact NYCAPfor more information on the test resultsor for details on how to conduct yourown tests.

from HortIdeas, September 2002 (750Black Lick Road, Gravel Switch, KY 40328)

Weed-and-feed lawn

chemicals reducelitter size in lab test

Miniscule amounts of lawn weedkillers reduce the birth rate of lab mice,according to toxicologist Warren Porterof the University of Wisconsin-Madisonand his colleagues. Rather than testinghigh doses of single herbicide ingredi-ents, as has previously been done, theseresearchers used a brand of weed-and-feed mix that contained three herbi-cides: 2, 4-D; mecoprop; and dicamba.

They fed solutions containing variousconcentrations of the weed killer topregnant mice. Compared with controlmice, those consuming the herbicidehad up to 80 percent fewer pups. Micereceiving the lowest doses of herbicidesgenerally produced the smallest litters,contrary to toxicological dogma thatthe dose makes the poison. Fredvom Saal of the University of Missouriin Columbia says that in light of this

study, researchers should test very lowas well as high doses of such hormone-like pollutants.

from: Lawn Agent Cues Embryo

Shortfall, by J. Pickerell, Science News,Oct. 12, 2002 (as reported in MaineOrganic Farmer & Gardener, December2002-February 2003)

Tougher fertilizer standards

Beginning Jan. 1, 2002, California beganenforcing the toughest fertilizer stan-dards in the country, according to thestates Department of Food andAgriculture. The standards follow aprocess that included public hearings

and input from fertilizer manufacturersand environmental groups. CDFASecretary Bill Lyons Jr. said the newstandards ensure the levels of certainheavy metals do not pose a risk toCalifornians and the environment. Formore:

from: NMPro magazine, Feb. 2002

State of Marylandhelps growers

This past summer, the Maryland

Legislature granted Gov. Parris N.Glendenings request for money tosubsidize the cost of writing nutrientmanagement plans. The legislatureappropriated $987,409 to help plantgrowers write the plans. Withoutincreased funding, many growerswould not have been able to afford theplans, which are required by the WaterQuality Improvement Act of 1998 tohelp restore the Chesapeake Bay and itstributaries, according to the Maryland

Department of Agriculture. For more:.

from: NMPro magazine, July 2002

Yet another new invasive

Inula britannica, an aggressive Europeanweed, has entered the United Statesthrough Ditch hosta and daylily liners.

I. britannica, also called British ele-campane, is a member of theAsteraceae

family. It grows 6 to 30 inches high andthe top of the leaves have soft, downyhairs. Margins of the leaves are even orfinely toothed. Look for yellow flowerheads that occur alone or in clusters oftwo or three. The weed flowers in Julyand August.

Any plant infested with Inula shouldbe destroyed.

USDAs Animal and Plant HealthInspection Service is trying to deter-mine how far this weed has spread.If you have an infestation, contact AlTasker, APHIS noxious weed coordina-tor. For more info: Al Tasker, InvasiveSpecies and Pest Management, PlantProtection and Quarantine, USDA

APHIS, 4700 River Road, ste. 134,Riverdale, MD 20737; (301) 734-5708;;.

from: NMPro magazine, August 2002

Trees cause pollution?

Could trees actually be the cause ofair pollution? U.S. EPA speculates thatoak trees are to blame for high amountsof formaldehyde in the air around St.

Louis. St. Louis has some of the highestformaldehyde air pollution levels inthe country, and officials are doingresearch to see if the surroundingOzark forests contribute. Oak trees giveoff isoprene, a gas that reacts with sun-light and water to create formaldehyde.

from: St. Louis Post-Dispatch

White House treefalls to squirrels

A tree that has graced the WhiteHouses expansive North Lawn sincethe 19th century came down [lastSeptember], the victim of over-aggres-sive squirrels.

Workers with chain saws, a woodchipper, a forklift and other equipmentlabored through the morning to fell theyellow buckeye that had towered overmany of the grounds other trees. Afterchopping off the branches and most of

gleanings

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17

the top, the final large piece of the trunkhit the ground with a boom aroundlunchtime.

All that was left by the end of the daywas a hole in the ground newly filled

with dirt.The tree was planted at an undeter-

mined time before 1900, said WhiteHouse Spokeswoman Anne Womack.Unlike some of the trees on thegrounds, it had not been planted forany special commemorative purpose,she said.

The trees undoing was its appeal tosquirrels, which burrowed so deeplythey penetrated the layer that trans-ports water throughout the tree.Groundskeepers had to spend a large

amount of time tending the tree andshearing top branches as they died ofthirst. Eventually, workers concludedthe tree could become a hazard overthe winter and decided it had to comedown, Womack said.

Over the last couple of years, forsome reason the squirrels have justattacked this particular tree, Womacksaid.

from: Miami Herald, Sept. 12, 2002,reprinted by permission of Associated Press

Naked gardener winsanother court case

Chalk up another victory for the nakedgardener.

The Pennsylvania Superior Court hasoverturned the harassment convictionof Charlie Stitzer, who has a habit oftending his backyard garden in thenude.

Stitzer, 64, of Pleasant Gap, wasconvicted in December 2000 of indecentexposure after a neighbor, PamWatkins, complained that she and her15-year-old daughter had seen Stitzergardening in nothing but shoes and a

wristwatch. Stitzer was sentenced totwo years probation.

The Superior Court threw out thatconviction in March, saying Stitzersbackyard was private and that the

neighbors were too far away65 yardsto have seen anything offensive.

The separate harassment chargestems from three letters Stitzer wroteto Watkins. The Superior Court, in itsruling Monday, said Stitzer used theletters to establish a dialogue with hislongtime neighbor in an attempt tomediate their ongoing conflict. Heused these letters as a forum to makepeace.

Stitzer said he first started gardening

in the nude to persuade Watkins todim the outdoor floodlights that shonetoward his property, a few miles north-east of State College, Pa.

from: news story, Aug. 9, 2002,reprinted by permission of Associated Press

Ecological LandscapingWinter Conference and EcoMarketplace

Building Viable Habitats: Resources for the Ecological Landscape

February March at the Holiday Inn Boxborough Mass

Keynote presenters will be Leslie Sauerof Andropogon Associates who will discussecological landscape management and preservation and Dr. Elaine Ingham national

expert on the soil foodweb who will explore the complexities of the soil ecosystem

and ways to manage its health Both will also present workshop sessions

Other scheduled speakers include Bill Cullina on native trees for tough sites; CherylSmith on biorational approaches to managing plant diseases; Frances Clarkon managingconservation land for habitat; plus sessions on lawn care pest management and more

There will be expanded opportunities for informal networking sessions to meet andtalk to other landscape and horticultural professionals

The addition of the EcoMarketplace will feature vendors of products and servicesrelated to ecological landscaping and conservation

Cost is $ for Friday only $ for Saturday only or $ for both daysCost includes program lunch continental breakfast and conference booklet

IS MC MCS AND MCLP and pesticide contact hours have been requested

For more information contact Nancy Askin ELA's conference coordinator at () or Kathleen Carroll at () kcarroll@umextumassedu Or check these Web sites:wwwELAecolandscapingassnorg wwwumassgreeninfoorg or wwwnewfsorg

Co-sponsored by theEcological Landscaping

Association; UMass

Extension's Landscape,

Nursery, and Urban

Forestry Program; and

the New England WIld

Flower Society, the

9th Annual Winter

Conference has been

expanded to a two-

day-long program.

Presented by leading

experts, the educa-

tional sessions will

provide information

on a broad range of

vital topics.


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18

Review of Rick DarkesThe American WoodlandGarden; Capturing the Spiritof the Deciduous Forest

The American Woodland Garden: Capturing the Spirit of the DeciduousForest by Rick Darke (Timber Press, 2002) ISBN 0-88192-545-4.

More details about the book are available at www.timberpress.com.

Rick Darkes latest publication is,in effect, two books. In the first halfDarke wends through a forest aes-thetic, examining light and shadow,color and structure, and the manifes-tations of the seasons. He goes on tomodel an exercise all of us would dowell to imitate: He examines a siteover a period of years, taking notes

and photos in order to comprehendall that he observes. Offering readers66 images of one woodland stream(with most photos taken from thesame vantage point), he introducesus to this ecosystems constituentparts and opens our eyes to theirtransitory qualities. These illustra-tions are followed by a smorgasbordof landscape photos, each scene cap-

tioned with insightful text pointingout the tints, textures, forms, or lay-ers that give rise to visual reward.

The second part of this bookprovides textual and photographicprofiles of Darkes favorite nativetrees, shrubs, herbs, ferns, grasses,sedges, and wood-rushes. Each plantgets, on average, two paragraphs

of description. Comparatively, thissection pales to better, specializedbooks. Guy Sternberg and JimWilsons Landscaping with NativeTrees, for example, outshines Darkesquickie tree profiles. As for Darkestreatment of herbaceous plants,Lorraine Johnsons 100 Easy-to-GrowNative Plants does a better job ofdescribing landscape uses andsuggesting companion plantings.

Given this, you might wonderwhat would motivate you to add The

American Woodland Garden to yourlibrary for $49.95. I recommend thebook for 738 colorful reasons: Itsphotos remind us how the sensorialpleasures of a forest are the resultof nature going about its relativelypredictable biological business. Ifwe can learn about those naturalprocesses and keep them in mind,then, as landscapers, we can see

through time to contrive a sustain-able and visually successful design.

Printed with Hong Kongs cus-tomary eye-popping reproduction,all aspects of the books layout andtypography are exemplary andworthy of any coffee table.

Darke has authored or otherwisecontributed to these other notable

books:Manual of Grasses, In Harmonywith Nature: Lessons from the Arts &Crafts Garden, the Color Encyclopediaof Ornamental Grasses.

Joy Buslaff

Joy Buslaff recently joined the productionstaff of this newsletter to assist NickNovick, whose work as editor sheadmired from afar (Waukesha, Wis.).

Joys business has been providingpublishing services for mainstream andspecial-interest magazines for over 20

years. You may know her from her five-year tenure as editor ofWild OnesJournal. After converting virtually allof her homes property to native plantsand edibles, she and her husband are nowtaking on the renovation of her inheritedchildhood home (a historic schoolhouse)and will then embark on another grandnative landscaping adventure.

Native plants may be better adapted, but what is mostimportant is that they have proved their ability to co-existwithin the balance of a forest community, something thatcannot be said for many exotics.

The regimented aesthetic of traditional formal gardens isusually in conflict with the necessary plasticity of natural

forests.

Im sometimes inclined to believe horticulturists are involvedin an unwitting conspiracy against big trees.

Id come to appreciate the structure and the pace of the land-scape and its living community, and knew where to look forthe details that set today apart from yesterday or tomorrow.

Many daily rhythms became apparent and predictable such as the cloaking effects of morning shadows or theluminous depths produced by the suns late-afternoonbacklighting, and Ive since learned how to emulate theseeffects in garden designs.

Unless weve been trained in art, our color vocabulary isusually so limited it is completely inadequate for describingthe subtle hues readily apparent to the eye in the winterlandscape.

Darkes literary style

weighs more toward

the pragmatic than

the poetic, and his

phrasing often hits

the nail on the head.

At right are a few of

the best Darkeisms:

Use of proprietary product or manufac-

turer names is for informational pur-poses and is not intended to constituteor imply any endorsement or warrantyby ELA. We strive to present accurateand reliable information, however, ELAassumes no responsibility for any claimsmade or for results obtained from anyprocedures described in the articles weprint. Unless described as such, opin-ions expressed in the newsletter do notnecessarily represent those of ELAsdirectors, staff, or members.


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19

January 8, 2003ELA round table: Designing theLandscape with Water in Mind,Broadmoor Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary,Natick, Mass., 1:30-4:30 pm. Peter

Phippen from the Merrimack ValleyPlanning Council and Jean Akers, of theConway School of Landscape Design willreview impacts of recent droughts andconsider how to address water issues inlandscape design and planning. $25 forELA members, $35 for nonmembers; reg-istration limited to 40. Call (617) 436-5838to request registration form.

January 9-10, 2003 (Connecticut)January 15-16, 2003 (Pennsylvania)New Directions in the AmericanLandscape; Vegetation and

Innovation: Meadows, Woods, andWater, held in two locations: NewLondon, Conn., and Villanova, Pa.Speakers include Dennis Burton on plant-ing and protecting natives in disturbedlandscapes, Richard Pais on forest conser-vation in new development, Bill Cullinaon seeding the woodland landscape,Carol Franklin on establishing meadowsunder different site conditions, LarryWeaner on meadow techniques, andmore. $275 includes program, continentalbreakfast, lunch, and breaks. Info:(860) 439-5020 (Conn.); (215) 247-5777

ext. 156 (Pa.).

January 10-12, 2003Ecological Cut Flower Growing

Workshop, Ballston Spa, N.Y. Contactthe Regional Farm and Food Project, tel.:(518) 427-6537; Web: .

January 16-February 28, 2003Winter Horticultural Lecture spon-sored by the New England Wild FlowerSociety, held at the Wellesley CommunityCenter, Wellesley, Mass. Jan. 16: AnnLovejoy on natural garden and landscapecare; Jan. 30: Patrick Chasse on Art,Nature, and Landscape Character;Feb. 13: Warren Leach, Gardens ThatFit; Designing for New England; andFeb. 27: Leslie Sauer on restoring andmanaging small woodlands. Many othereducational programs are offered throughNEWFS. Contact NEWFS EducationDept. at (508) 877-7630 ext. 3303 or e-mail.

January 22, 2003Eco-Landscaping Conference andTour, Asilomar Conference Center,Pacific Grove, Calif. 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. Topicsinclude alternative weed management,

beyond xeriscaping, the new urbanwatershed. Presenters include ELA mem-ber Owen Dell on the design and man-agement of watershed-friendly homes,landscapes, and public infrast

Massachusetts; WaterWise Landscaping to Fight the Water Crisis and Drought

Documents

Transcript of Massachusetts; WaterWise Landscaping to Fight the Water Crisis and Drought