Welcome to Part 2 of my interview with Sue Reed, author of Energy-Wise Landscape Design. Make sure not to miss Part 1, Energy-Wise Landscaping where we learn how to arrange our landscapes to keep our homes warm in the winter and cool in the summer. Sue will teach us how to save energy in the [...]
Energy-Wise Landscaping
Saving energy in our landscapes seems especially important right now in light of how the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is impacting the livelihood of the people who live there and the wildlife who are dependent on the salt marsh ecosystem. Sue Reed is the author of the ground-breaking new book, Energy-Wise Landscape [...]
Oil Spill and Our Gardens
As oil continues to spew into the Gulf of Mexico, people’s livelihoods are being destroyed, nesting bird colonies are being wiped out, sea turtles and dolphins are being washed up on shore, and wildlife around the region is being severely impacted. I have to say that I start sobbing every time I see a photo [...]
Sustainable Landscaping for Gardeners
I received with great interest a review copy of Owen Dell’s Sustainable Landscaping for Dummies. Although I am not really a fan of the “Dummy” connotation, I’ve got to say that Owen has done an excellent job in covering this subject in a well thought out and accessible way. If you’re a subscriber to the Wren [...]
Is Sustainability only about Human Benefit?
It’s kind of funny how a seemingly innocuous topic can sometimes spur heated debates among us gardeners. Yes, we can be very opinionated. If you’re a regular visitor here, you’ve probably noticed my “Most Hated Plants” series, and if you’ve actually read those articles you know that my greatest desire is that we could just [...]
Sustainable Landscapes Give Back
It may come as a surprise to many that the gold standard of the green building industry, LEED certification, actually does very little to address the land beyond the building. The highest ranked LEED buildings may perform very poorly from a sustainability perspective. Fortunately, this gap has been addressed by The Sustainable Sites Initiative, a [...]
Sustainable Gardening for Florida
Sustainable Gardening for Florida is one of the best summaries of sustainable practice in our gardens that I have ever seen. With the qualification that specific plants and several garden situations may be appropriate only for Florida, the principles of sustainability presented in this book can be applied by gardeners everywhere. Ginny Stibolt has spent [...]
A Resource Guide to Conservation Gardening, Part 1: Sustainability
This is Part 1 in a series of resources for Conservation Gardening. See What does Conservation Gardening mean to see how these references are used in Conservation Gardening. Sustainable Landscaping Sustainable Landscape Construction: A Guide to Green Building Outdoors, Second Edition, by J. William Thompson and Kim Sorvig. This is an excellent and thorough guide [...]
Justin Timberlake says golf CAN be green!
I don’t know many people who would say that golf courses are good for the environment, but Justin Timberlake has changed that notion. Last week he opened Mirimichi Golf Course, which is the first golf course to ever receive the Audubon Certified International Classic Sanctuary status. To achieve this certification, a course must: implement sustainable [...]
Sustainable Lawns Revisited
Yesterday’s Philadelphia Inquirer had a great article by Virginia Smith: The complexities of Greening your lawn which refers to lawns as “drug addict in need of detox.” She points out the dangers of toxic chemicals to people and pets, and the dangers of not using these chemicals properly. This is a very good review of [...]
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