The 2012 ASHS Annual Conference

Sustainable landscape practices address issues of water management, air quality, resource use, wildlife habitat and human well-being. Some widely used practices include water conservation in the landscape known as xeriscaping, on-site storm water management using rain gardens and green roofs, water harvesting through various systems designed for the landscape, use of trees for energy conservation in buildings, restoration of native plant communities, and creation of wildlife habitat on golf courses and residential properties. Sustainable landscape practices were implemented on this residential property in western Illinois beginning in 2004. Prior to that, the property landscaping included mostly turf as a groundcover, some yews as foundation plants two shade trees and some weedy growth along a creek that runs through the property. The property has a 112-foot long curved slope that was covered with turf. The creek that runs through the property originates from farm field run-off and feeds into the Lamoine River, which run into the Illinois River and then the Mississippi River. The primary practices implemented on the property were removal of turf and replacement with native plants, creating plant communities, and increasing diversity of the riparian plant community. To estimate management costs, maintenance activities were recorded on an annual basis. Labor, equipment, and material costs were summed for all activities over the course of a year. In the process of implementing the sustainable practices a total of 16,804 square feet of turf was removed. It was mainly replaced with plants and mulch, although two sets of steps were installed on either end of the slope. Labor required for mowing was reduced by 13 hours over the period of one season. As weed control in turf decreased over the course of the season, it increased in shrub and flower beds. Pest problems were minimal before and after implementation of the changes.