Resources for Transforming Your Landscape

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▪ The Home and Garden Information Center (HGIC) has a wealth of information on a range of conservation landscaping topics. The HGIC is a statewide program providing outreach education to Maryland residents and beyond. They provide earth-friendly, research-based gardening information and education. The HGIC has extensive information on the following topics: flowers, insects, invasives, lawns, diagnostics, diseases, soils, trees & shrubs, vegetables, weeds, and more. Visit — http://extension.umd.edu/hgic.

▪ Reducing or replacing lawn. Visit the Lawn Reform Coalition’s website to learn about reducing or replacing lawn, water-wise lawn species, and eco-friendly care for all lawns — www.lawnreform.org.

▪ Going native, and planting right for your site. Learn about the extensive variety of beautiful, beneficial native plants appropriate for a range of growing conditions in the Chesapeake Bay watershed by visiting — www.nativeplantcenter.net.

▪ About the value of native trees, shrubs, and herbaceous perennials. Learn more at Doug Tallamy’s website — www.bringingnaturehome.net.

Landscaping with Native Plants—produced by the Maryland Native Plant Society—is a guide for the home gardener who wants to enjoy and learn about native plants. The guide can be downloaded at — www.mdflora.org/publications/gardenersguidelines/gguides.html.

▪Purchasing Native Plants. For native plant sources, visit the Maryland Native Plant Society’s website at — www.mdflora.org/publications/nurseries.html.

Extensive conservation landscaping information, with an emphasis on rain gardens and xeriscapes, can be downloaded — Ecoscaping Back to the Future…Restoring Chesapeake Landscapes.

▪ RainScaping with rain gardensrain barrels, and permeable pavers to reduce stormwater runoff. Learn more about Stormwater Issues and Solutions.

▪ Composting to use it as a soil amendment and to reduce yard waste. Learn more here.

Compost and Mulch Calculator makes it easy to figure out how much to purchase.

▪The Free Mulch Program. “Created by AboutTrees.com, the free mulch program is the quickest and easiest way to request free mulch from tree services when they are working close to your neighborhood. All it takes is one single form and your request will be made available to all the tree services who use the app in your area.”

Pruning techniques. Download — How to Prune Trees.

▪ About invasive plants. “Contrary to the title, the focus of Plant Invaders of Mid-Atlantic Natural Areas is native biodiversity. Invasive species and habitat destruction, intensified by global climate change, are running neck-to-neck as the leading causes of environmental despoliation and loss of biological diversity worldwide.” Download — Plant Invaders of Mid-Atlantic Natural Areas Printable PDF (8.25 Mb).

Additional  resources can be found on the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Resources page.