Sustainable Gardening

Contributed by Lincoln Garden Club Members

For several years, the Conservation and Environment Committee has promoted sustainable gardening practices to Lincoln Garden Club members and to all Lincoln residents.

With Station Park as a model, committee members have worked to make their lawns and gardens more environmentally sustainable. They have read books, experimented, and worked with compatible landscape contractors and local nurseries. Sometimes their ideas of what is beautiful have changed. Sometimes they discovered that ‘benign neglect’ was the best approach. They have had successes and failures as they worked to choose plants that are native to our landscape; to create environments that are free of pesticides, herbicides, and chemical fertilizers; and that are drought tolerant, winter hardy, and disease resistant.

These ‘experts’ have written the articles below to describe their personal journey to sustainable gardens. Many have been or will be published in The Lincoln Journal as well as on the Garden Club and other local web sites. We hope you enjoy them and will consider adding your own suggestions to our collection.

Table of Contents

Articles

1. Station Park: A Model for Sustainable Landscaping……….Lynne Smith

2. Sustainable Lawns…………………by Nancy Henderson and Sue Mohn

3. Fall Gardening Tips………………………………………. by Patricia Hilpert

4. Love ‘Em and Leave ‘Em……………………………………Robin Wilkerson

5. Redefining the Landscape…………………………………..…Lynne Smith

6. Redefining Beauty in Home Gardens…………………………Lynne Smith

7. How to talk to your Landscape Contractor………………………….Robin Wilkerson

8. Alternatives to Grass Lawn… by Nancy Henderson, Robin Wilkerson

9. Healthy plants from the Ground Up………………………by Janet Ganson

10. Watering in Good Conscience (Part 1)……….Ruth Ann Hendrickson