Working out of Westhaven’s on-site greenhouse, Barbara Wise helps us get growing! She is a Master Gardener who brings a lifetime of experience to residents, who lovingly call her “The Flower Lady.” With her staff, she maintains hundreds of deck boxes, containers and flower beds, infusing the neighborhood with vibrant color. (She can be seen riding around the neighborhood on – of course – a petal pink bicycle!).
Top Ten Ways to GO GREEN in Your Garden
- Plant your yard with native plants. In Tennessee, check out www.nashvillenatives.com or www.gardeningwithnativeplants.com or www.growildnursery.com.
- Use a rain barrel or some other rain water collection system to use in your landscape.
- Plant deciduous trees around your home to keep it cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter.
- If you install irrigation, use drip irrigation in your landscape to reduce wasting water. www.netafim.com
- Integrate a composting area or bin into your yard. Go to: www.mastergardening.com/a-lesson-in-composting.html
- Wake up your plants with a little caffeine. Coffee grinds are a great natural fertilizer for your acid loving plants.
- If you don’t want to wait for your own compost to break down, enrich your soil with organic products like Erth Food®, Royal Soil from The Compost Farm -www.compostfarm.com, or other products like Mr. Natural® Soil Products (available at Moore and Moore West (615-662-8849)
- Look into the organic options for pest control. http://www.extremelygreen.com/pestcontrolguide.cfm
- Host a plant swap. When thinning out your iris, daisy, rudbeckia, daylilies, or other fast growing perennials, invite some friends and neighbors to share their surplus also!
- Grow your own herbs and vegetables. Transform some of that maintenance nightmare lawn into a useable source of produce for your family.