40th Anniversary of Earth Day at the National Mall

Earth Day celebrates its 40th Anniversary at the National Mall April 24 and 25, 2010. Lisa Caprioglio has been invited to speak at the Environmental Protection Agency’s National Sustainable Design Expo Green Public Forum. Look for her at the EPA tent located between 4th and 7th Streets, NW at 1:30 pm on Saturday, April 24. The topic is:

Go Native: Stewardship Begins in Your Own Back Yard

The American archetype of a velvet, emerald-green lawn bordered by groundcover, a few spherical shrubs, and a flowering pear tree may be green in color, but not Green in practice. Invasive exotic ornamental plants escape cultivation and smother wilderness areas miles away. Lawns use an enormous amount of water, lawnmowers that emit carbon dioxide, and fertilizers that wash into the Chesapeake Bay. Exotic plants do not support the diversity of wildlife that native plants do.

People--often unwittingly--plant invasives because they are easier to grow under a variety of conditions. They are fast-growing with a long bloom time. Insects rarely eat them. They look nice. No wonder nurseries continue to sell invasives and gardeners continue to request them. The qualities that make them appealing to gardeners are also some of the qualities that make them invasive. Not all weeds are ugly.

Native plants have much to recommend them. They are beautiful, lending a sense of place and character, a welcome relief from the monotony of ordinary “Top 10” landscaping. Native plants require less coddling, e.g. extra water, winter protection, fungicides, pesticides, etc. Well-chosen natives will not object to Washington’s hot humid summers, clay soils and other “challenges.” Native plants attract birds, bees, and butterflies, adding vibrancy to the garden.

Stewardship begins in your own back yard, literally. Reduce the size of your lawn. Tear out invasive ornamental plants. Choose native flowers, shrubs, and trees appropriate for existing sun, soil, and moisture conditions. Create a new American suburban aesthetic.