Since inception Lifestyle Landscapes has placed a premium on ensuring our practices are ‘best practices’ in regard to their environmental consequences.  We thus found a natural fit when several years ago we became an EnviroStars rated company. (Details of Lifestyle Landscapes Green Offerings)

EnviroStars is a program that certifies businesses for their efforts in preventing pollution and reducing hazardous waste. Certified EnviroStars businesses are given a rating based on their commitment to reducing hazardous waste. The higher the star rating, the more proactive the business has been in protecting the environment.  The program was set up in King County in 1995 and has spread through the region and become nationally recognized.

We are constantly extending our outreach efforts to both spread news of the EnviroStars Program and to directly help our clients lessen their own impact on the environment.  So today’s Blog entry is to suggest when looking for a business or service try the EnviroStars search page.

By using these businesses, you are helping to reinforce better business practices, and creating economic value for businesses that make the commitment to “go green“.  We are all trying to do our part for the environment and for our community.

Here are some ecologically sensitive landscaping practices that I have learned about recently for Seattle landscaping.

Consider the sun’s path through the sky and how the sun heats not only your home in the summer and winter but also heats up paths which reflect that heat onto sensitive plants. Planting shade trees in strategic spots can provide shade and screening. Remove narrow concrete paths and replace with dark bark mulch. The mulch doesn’t reflect light and doesn’t have much nutrient value for weeds.

Planting density can affect weed growth when gardening. If shrubs, perennials and groundcovers grow into a dense mass there is less light and area for wind-blown weed seeds to take hold.

Drip irrigation placed at the base, root balls and trunks can help get larger shrub groupings the water they need with less water loss due to wind and evaporation. When designing irrigation systems; the placing of drip emitters or soaker hoses, locate them at the interior of planting beds where dense root masses can absorb the water, they are shaded by vegetation and protected from wind.

A yearly application of compost and mulch, or compost/mulch combinations can hugely help improve soil quality. Over time rocks and pebbles are pushed to the surface and the nutrient rich layer of topsoil gets deeper and deeper. A thicker topsoil layer encourages plant roots to reach deeper, thus holding moisture longer and eventually needing less irrigation.

Compost and mulch can also be applied to lawns. The deeper the grass roots extend the longer the grass will remain green in the summer and the healthier the lawn will be; preventing weeds from taking hold.

There are many methods for on site management of rain water. Options to disconnect down spouts from the city storm water system include cisterns, rain gardens, gravel and drain rock swales, and impervious paver systems. Be sure that big storms can still flow to the storm drains without flooding sidewalks or onto neighbor’s property. More information can be found at www.seattle.gov/util/rainwise.

Attracting birds into your landscape can be easy if you know a little about what they like and their habits. Plants are a key part in many birds’ lives because they provide both materials and structure for shelter, and provide food with not only a multitude of fruits, nuts and seeds but also a source for insect eating birds.

Birds are highly visual and are attracted by brightly colored flowers; this is especially true of hummingbirds, so choose plants with red or orange (tubular) flowers to get them interested. The eating habits of birds vary widely. Small non-migratory birds eat almost constantly during daylight hours where as migratory birds need large amounts of food for a day or two.

Different plants have different resources to offer. Deciduous plants bear the most fruit, nuts and seeds. Evergreen plants and trees provide berries and seed-filled cones and can act as year-round shelters and nesting sites.

Here are some locally available plants that provide resources for birds in Seattle gardens:

Trees

Acer circinatum / Vine Maple – Provide seeds eaten by many birds

Crataegus douglasii / Black Hawthorne – Grows in a thicket, provides great shelter, berries eaten
by birds, robins, woodpeckers and ducks

Sorbus varieties / Mountain Ash – Provides shelter and berries in summer and fall

Shrubs

Cornus stolonifera / Red-Twig Dogwood – Provides nesting site, berries eaten by warblers, robins
and flycatchers

Ribes alpinum / Red Flowering Currant – Berries eaten by jays, sparrows, and woodpeckers,
nectar and color attractive to hummingbirds

Symphoricarpos albus / Snowberry – Berries persist into the winter, eaten regularly by quail and
grouse, emergency food for many others

Sambucus varieties / Red and Blue Elderberry – Red variety ripen in early summer, blue variety
ripen in fall, nectar for hummingbirds, bees and butterflies

Lonicera fragrantissima / Honeysuckle – Prolific flowers provide nectar for hummingbirds

Fuchsia varieties – Spring and summer food source for hummingbirds

Perennials

Aquilegia formosa / Red Columbine – Favorite native for hummingbirds, sparrows and finches
like seeds, very adaptable plant and showy flowers

Dicentra formosa / Western Bleeding Heart – Early spring source of nectar for hummingbirds

Crocosmia varieties / Montbretia – Summer food source for hummingbirds

Outside my kitchen window grows a Mock Orange (Philadelphus virvinalis) the scent from which has been wafting in for weeks. I know that as a designer I always incorporate scents into a garden, trying to provide a surprise for each season and pleasure for the owner. But this shrub I did not plant. It was there when we moved into the house, in a side yard to which I seldom go, and it grows happily in benign neglect, right up to the eaves. But the serendipitous pleasure it brings our family each year has prompted me to think again about other plants that provide beauty appreciated by senses other than sight. So to start, here are some great smelling additions for the seattle garden.

Winter: Hamamelis x intermedia ‘Arnold Promise’, Sarcacocca hookerana humilis, S. ruscifolia

Spring: Choisya ternate, Daphne odora, Wisteria floribunda, Clematis armandii

Summer: Lonicera japonica, Jasminum polyanthum, Philadelphus coronarius

Fall: Cercidiphyllum japonica – the leaves smell of cinnamon and apple, Itea iliciflora

And don’t forget the herbs, especially the old standards: the mints, parsley, rosemary, and the thymes.

Baxter

Seattle gardening and landscape maintenance begins with proper watering. When trying to determine the frequency and duration of watering periods, always consider the soil conditions, the weather conditions and the plant itself. Healthy plant roots need oxygen as well as water. In clay soils, water can drain very slowly and deprive the plant of the oxygen its roots need. During the summer, the heat and lack of rain can dry out your plants. Windy conditions can also dry out plants, thereby requiring more water than expected. New plants require substantially more water than established plants.

It is best to think of watering in two ways. You can either sprinkle or flood (soak). Different plants like different watering techniques. The best time to water is early morning. This helps to prevent disease by allowing plants to dry completely before the cooler evening temperatures arrive.

Established lawns (2 years old or older) need 1” of water per week. This is normally accomplished in our region naturally from November 15^th through March 15^th. Lawn roots are relatively shallow but you want to promote deep rooting. Lawns also dry out quickly, so it is best for an established lawn to be sprinkled 3 times a week. Set your irrigation clocks to make sure your lawn is receiving 1” of water per week.

Established trees (2 years after installation) require water monitoring. When established trees need water they prefer a complete soaking. If the soil is not damp at a 6” depth, your tree needs watering. Water until the soil is wet to that 6” depth. During hot weather, soaking the root ball once every week is usually sufficient.

Established shrub beds need .5” of water per week. This is normally accomplished in our region naturally from November 15^th through March 15^th. Maintaining a 2” layer of mulch helps to keep the water from evaporating too quickly and thereby reduces water usage. Sprinkling is generally fine for most plants. Set your clocks to make sure your beds are receiving .5” of water per week.