ECOLOGICAL LANDSCAPING
My interest in the natural world has
involved me with ecological landscaping and publishing
projects. Some of Dan's and my outdoor adventures are
illustrated here. Please contact
me and visit the links
below if you would like to learn about improving the
environment.--Joy Buslaff
THE FRONT YARD PRAIRIE GARDEN
Six months under black plastic destroyed
the old lawn in 2003. That autumn we cast 55 prairie species'
seeds mixed with sawdust. Sawdust or sand are used to
facilitate distribution of the seed, and they provide a visual
marker as to which areas have been sown.
THE KITCHEN GARDEN
We try to do everything ourselves, but we
had to call in the "big guns" to excavate a loading
dock, garage foundation, and a hillside driveway overgrown by
lawn. We hired our neighbor, Payne & Dolan, to remove the
material. Fifteen cubic yards of topsoil now create a gentle
slope where our edibles will grow on the south side of the
western classroom.
PAYNE & DOLAN'S PONDS TO THE SOUTH
Just south of our property, Payne &
Dolan installed two detention/retention ponds in 2003 to deal
with the run-off from their acres of parking lot (used for a
variety of road- and bridge-building machinery). This year we
began plugging and sowing native plants and seeds around the
shoreline.
At left, Dan looks on as a trickle pours
from the upper to the lower pond through a spillway. When the
bottom pond fills, it overflows through a culvert into the Fox
River.
ACROSS THE STREET TO THE EAST
In 2003 Japanese Knotweed threatened the
Fox River (see photo at left). We alerted the DNR and DOT to
the invasive plant, and a series of eradication measures
knocked back the invasive alien (right). More mowing and
spraying are expected in 2006.
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recommended books:
Thomas Ogren
Rick Darke
Sally Wasowski
and
both by William Cullina of the
New England Wild Flower Society
Minnesota DNR
Sternberg & Wilson
Lorraine Johnson
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LOCAL RESOURCEs:
national groups:
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