We live in a forest culture on the east coast. When many of our ancestors came to the new world as immigrants the forest were being cleared for the first or second time. If you stop mowing your lawn in Westchester, in time you probably would not be looking at a meadow but a young forest.
That’s fine with me as for most days lately I’m sun blocking with spf110 three times a day because of my fair skin (and good sun block is expensive, trust me I’m an expert on sunburn). Many of our landscapes have dark, damp poorly drained areas with lack of air circulation where lawn does not do well. Watch out for mosquito breeding! Public Health take note!
These conditions are common everywhere! I have designed and installed shade gardens from Hastings, Dobbs Ferry and Irvington to Katonah, Bedford and Brewster and everywhere in between! My own predominantly shady native plant garden in Rye is used as an outdoor classroom for environmental education.
These underutilized, neglected areas of our landscapes are excellent garden design and landscaping opportunities to improve your health and the appearance of your property while increasing beneficial wildlife habitat. An additional benefit is reducing the need for maintenance. Better resource management (gas, fertilizer, time = $ )!
Look to see if you have overgrown vegetation or visible mold on the house/siding, indicating poor air circulation. Not good for respiratory health! Standing or slowly draining water drowning lawn, soil, plants… yuck!
Clean it up…clear it out…plant native ferns, moss, shade loving perennials and ground covers…put in a garden path, maybe river rock or boulders…have some fun! Much more attractive…sustainable…and in the end…a very smart investment in your home and landscape!
Be part of the growing movement to eliminate toxic pesticides, improve the health, well being, appearance and ecological as well as economic value of our landscapes, homes and communities… Go Green!
