Pike Nurseries Shares Tips for Sustainable Gardens in Celebration of Earth Day

Atlanta GA

21 April, 2022

10:18 AM

Description

Every garden makes an impact in promoting a healthy, sustainable future for the planet. Every day is Earth Day at Pike Nurseries, and this year, the garden experts offer small gardening steps that can have a big impact in creating “greener” gardens and healthier outdoor homes that benefit nature and humans alike. Sustainable Gardening Gardeners have great options to practice a more sustainable lifestyle at home, including conserving water and wise plant selections. Conserving Water Water plants only when they need it. Lawns typically only need about one inch of rain each week, so setting up a rain gauge to record weekly rainfall will ensure plants are not being over-watered, or that water is being wasted. Water at the soil level. Plants take up water through their roots, not their leaves. Spraying plants’ leaves is an inefficient tactic that wastes water since much of it evaporates before reaching the roots and can even cause damage as excess moisture may lead to fungal issues on flowers and shrubs. Aim your sprayer at the soil around the base of your plants so water penetrates the ground and reaches the roots.Spread a two- to three-inch layer of mulch on flower beds and around trees and shrubs to help retain soil moisture so gardeners can water less frequently. Mulch also helps reduce weeds – a win-win! Here are ten more waterwise gardening tips: pikenursery.com/garden-guides/waterwise-garden-tips Waterwise Plants Waterwise plants, as well as many native plants, are more drought-tolerant and require less watering. Gardeners can incorporate such waterwise plants as echinacea, verbena, butterfly weed and heuchera into their landscapes and containers. Remember to group plants together based on light and water needs to avoid over/under watering.Here are more waterwise plants gardeners can easily grow in our region: pikenursery.com/garden-guides/waterwise-plants Growing Your Own Food Growing food at home provides a wonderful source of fresh, delicious and healthy produce for friends and family. Gardeners can minimize exposure to chemicals by using organic seeds, seedlings, soil and fertilizer, as well as organic solutions to help curb disease and pests. Additionally, homegrown produce is more eco-friendly, with a smaller carbon footprint than store-bought produce. Whether it’s a backyard garden bed, pots on a balcony or a whole orchard of trees, garden lovers with any size space can grow their own fruit, herbs and veggies. Pike offers more tips and ideas here: pikenursery.com/how-to/garden-to-table Beneficial Bugs Bugs can be beneficial in multiple ways. Bees, butterflies and moths are pollinators that help plants grow and produce flowers and crops. Ladybugs, dragonflies and praying mantises are beneficial critters that help by eating other pests that are harmful to the garden or just plain pesky to humans and pets such as aphids, flies, mosquitos and more. Letting these beneficial bugs hang around can largely impact the overall health of a garden! Gardeners can purchase ladybugs and praying mantis eggs to introduce these helpful creatures to the garden, and they can plant pollinator-attracting flowers to lure butterflies and more. Here is a helpful guide for creating a pollinator-friendly garden: pikenursery.com/garden-guides/plants-for-pollinators For more information and care tips at Pike Nurseries, please visit pikenursery.com or visit Pike Nurseries on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and Twitter.