Sustainable Landscaping
Landscaping Strategies
There are many landscaping strategies that improve water quality and help protect the environment.
The city presents seminars on native landscaping and sustainable landscaping topics. Contact Maplewood Nature Center for
program schedule. To see examples of native landscaping and sustainable landscaping, visit the demonstration gardens at
Maplewood Nature Center.
Best Management Practices
Best management practices (BMP’s) refer to landscaping strategies that help protect surface water and ground water. When it rains, stormwater flows through the streets and stormpipes on its way to lakes and wetlands, picking up pollutants in its path. There are many things residents and businesses can do to help protect lakes, streams and wetlands from stormwater pollution. The easy three are:
- Keep streets and pavement clean. Sweep up grass clippings, leaves, and fertilizer so they are not carried down the storm drain
- Pick up litter and pet feces
- If fertilizing you lawn, choose zero-phosphorus fertilizer
Sustainable Landscaping
Sustainable landscaping refers to landscape design and practices that work with nature and minimize negative impacts on the environment. Sustainable landscapes strive to:
- Reduce use of water, fertilizer, pesticides, and fuel
- Use hardy plants adapted to the climate
- Infiltrate rain water on site, rather than sending it to storm drains
Native Landscaping
Native landscaping takes the concept of sustainable landscaping one step further. It uses predominantly plants that are native to a region. Benefits of native landscaping include all those for sustainable landscapes, and in addition:
- Provides habitat for animals
- Provides a legacy of native plants
- Is self perpetuating – seeds fall, germinate, and are allowed to mature
Document and Resources
