As human populations grow and as home and business developments spread outward from urban centers, there is subsequent harm and destruction to wildlife habitats. Destruction of habitats means wildlife populations suffer. In today's techno-savvy world, when we have so much information at our fingertips, we know there is "cause and effect" in the battle of man vs. nature. The balance of nature is out of whack. We also know "cause and effect" can work both ways. We (the gardeners) could and should learn to become ecologically responsible land stewards and help to restore the balance of nature. We should take responsibility upon ourselves to put nature back into the artificial landscape of our communities and then encourage others to do the same (I like to call this "practice and preach"). We do not have to drastically overhaul our existing gardens. We can gradually start pulling out invasive aliens; adding in more native plants; provide food, cover and water for wildlife; decrease the size of our lawns (cutting down on the use of water, harmful pesticides and fertilizers); use more natural planting schemes, all of which will help us connect to and relate to our natural surroundings. If we practice a few of these simple environmental concepts as we develop our landscapes naturally and in tune with the surrounding environment, we will contribute to healthier ecological systems and, in a bigger scheme, contribute to a far healthier habitat for future generations to inherit.

How do you connect to your natural surroundings, you ask? Well, I don't mean conform to your neighbors. Look around. Where do you live? Look past the immediate neighborhood. What is your nearest natural space? To feel a connection to that space, take a walk and observe what plants grow there, the conditions they grow in, and the wildlife the plants attract. The same situation or habitats you find in the nearby woods can be duplicated in your yard. To duplicate or mimic what you observe, you have to think of your yard as an extension of that neighboring natural space. Find a resource for the native plants and start planting your ecologically responsible natural garden. Start small and don't get too bogged down by design details just yet. Just start planting. If it is too overwhelming to start planting in the front yard, try a spot in the back. 

In the blog posts to come, I will share with you (preach to you) the environmental concepts listed below and how I put them into practice in my yard.

10 things you can do to become the ecologically responsible natural gardener:

- Increase the percentage of native plants in your garden

- Plant water-wise plants

- Do not use invasive species in your garden

- Plant in a more natural "drift and flow" planting scheme

- Provide food, water, cover and places to rear young for wildlife

- Reduce the amount of high maintenance lawn by at least 10% and create a border to provide a wildlife corridor

- Use more pervious hardscapes to increase water absorption and reduce runoff  

- Use repurposed objects as garden art

- Make your own compost by recycling yard and kitchen scraps

- Organize plant digs to rescue and transplant plants that would be removed from the landscape by developers

Increase the percentage of native plants in your garden

I bought $260 worth of native plants at the Ruffner Mountain Native Plant Sale. My co-blogger Arnie Rutkis grew the plants and partnered with Ruffner Mountain Nature Preserve (my neighboring natural space) for the sale. I wanted to concentrate more on grasses for my meadow. I also bought a few other things to go in other beds around the yard. Most of the plants are water-wise. I am going to plant them in a "drift and flow" planting scheme in my wildlife border next to my rain garden where I pulled up the invasive species and replaced them with native alternatives. Oh wait, I am getting ahead of myself - those are future blog posts.

Some of the plants I bought:

Amsonia tabernaemontana - eastern blue star

Eupatorium fistulosum - Joe Pye weed  

Eryngium yuccifolium - rattlesnake master

Bouteoua curtipendula - sideoats grama

Deschampsia flexuosa - wavy hair grass

Muhlenbergia filipes - gulfhairawn mulhy 

Panicum virgatum - switchgrass

Panicum virgatum'shenandoah' - red switchgrass

Schizachyrium scoparium 'the blues' - little bluestem

Sorghastrum nutans - Indian grass

Cotinus obovatus - smoke tree

Hypericum sp. 

Lindera benzoin - spicebush

Rhus aromatica - fragrant sumac