About that lawn.....

I've had a lot of calls and questions about the story that ran Sunday on green lawns and gardens. First of all, lawns are not inherently bad.

Creekside garden in Edina

Turf is, in fact, a pretty good way of holding both water and nutrients in the yard, which is the whole idea. But the issue is how its managed – too much fertilizer, not enough, too much weed killer or either one at the wrong time and a lot of it ends up in the closest lake or stream. The University of Minnesota Extension Service has excellent information on how to develop a healthy lawn in a healthy way.

And it seems that native plants and native gardens have a mind of their own.

Julia Vanatta, a volunteer for the Twin Cities Chapter of Wild Ones, a non-profit that promotes the use of native plants and natural landscapes, sent me this note:

"As for managing a natural landscape after installation, I like to use the phrase "after the honeymoon is over" to begin the discussion of planning ahead for a different style of routine maintenance. Once established, native plant communities take on a life of their own. Most homeowners or businesses that install a rain garden or natural landscape are not properly instructed on the management. The Nokomis Naturescape, a set of three, 13-year old native plant demonstration gardens, is a good example of how community and the park system work together to maintain to keep the gardens inviting and well cared for."