In her book Wildflowers Across America, Lady Bird Johnson, the former First Lady, wrote, “Wherever I go in America, I like it when the land speaks its own language in its own regional accent.” Mrs. Johnson knew that every region of the country features its own distinctive native plant life: Saguaro and Joshua trees in the southwest, cypress and palm in the deep south, mountain laurel and black-eyed Susan in the Alleghenies. She also knew that native plant management is good environmental policy.
Paul W. Steinbeiser Landscape Design and Construction is committed to creating the most environmentally friendly landscape design possible, and native plant management is a big part of that. In all of our projects, we make it a priority to encourage native plant recovery and reduce the proliferation of non-native plants.
Native plants are indigenous to a given region, and that have evolved over thousands of years to be perfectly suited to that region, adapting to its geography and climate. Left to its own devices, nature practices its own form of plant management: Native plants occur in communities – they’ve evolved alongside the other plants and animals in their environment. Non-native plants, on the other hand, will react to any environment as if it’s their own. Sometimes this results in aggressive plants that can dominate an ecosystem, stealing resources from native plants and choking them out. Good plant management makes sense both environmentally and financially:
- Good plant management means no fertilizers – Lawns, as well as many non-native garden plants, often require regular fertilization, which results in phosphorus and nitrogen leaching into streams and local water tables.
- Good plant management saves money in the long run – According to the Environmental Protection Agency, one acre of lawn costs roughly $400 to $700 a year to maintain, and the average homeowner spends 40 hours a year – an entire week’s worth of vacation time – mowing lawns. Good plant management uses native plants. Plants don’t need mowing and the upkeep is minimal.
- Good plant management helps reduce air pollution – Gas-driven garden tools emit about five percent of the nation’s air pollution, and the millions of lawnmowers across the nation consume about 200 million gallons of gas per year. Native plants require no mowing, and they remove carbon from the air.
- Good plant management requires less watering – Many native plants have evolved deep root systems that increases the soil’s capacity to hold water. Native plants also reduce water runoff, preventing flooding.
Paul W. Steinbeiser Landscape Design and Construction takes environmental stewardship very seriously. If you’re interested in a new landscape design that integrates the features of your area’s natural environment, contact us
P.W. Steinbeiser offers plant management solutions in Delaware, New Jersey and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. If you’re looking for quality plant management in PA, NJ or DE, look no further than P.W. Steinbeiser Landscape Design and Construction.