STEP 3
Prepare
the Site
and
Install
Remove invasive
plants
Check in with your soil
conservation district to get
a list of the invasive species
of your area. Odds are, you
have at least one invasive
species in your yard, and
its offspring will rapidly
spread to your local natural
areas, reducing their ability
to support wildlife. Hand-
pulling to remove is best.
But if it’s an established
woody plant, you may need
professional help. Tree
companies can grind out
the roots. Or you can rent a
grinder and do it yourself.
Your soil and water conser-
vation district can connectyou with contractors, and
sometimes they offer grants
to help cover the cost.Start small
Choose one of the micro
regions you found in your
yard and clear a bed no
larger than 150 square
feet. See how much you
can create before you take
on more. “Your neighbors
are going to appreciate
something that’s done
well,” says Scott Woodbury
manager of Whitmire
Wildflower Garden in Gray
Summit, Missouri. “But
nobody wants something
that became a weed patch
because you bit off more
than you could chew.”Don’t amend the soil
“There are plants—beauti-
ful ones—that are adapted
to pretty much every soil
type,” says Larry Weaner,
“If you make the soil per-
fectly rich, you can grow
pretty much anything you
want, but the weeds are go-
ing to grow beautifully. I’drather work with the soil
that’s there and the plants
that are adapted to that
soil. They’ll form a denser,
thicker, weed-suppressor
cover more quickly.”Cover the ground
“Nature abhors a vacuum,”
says Claudia West, co-
author of Planting in
a Post-Wild World and
principal at Phyto Studio
in Arlington, Virginia.
“Bare soil, even if it’s
covered with mulch, is
not stable or persistent.
The first step to making
a planting that needs
less maintenance is to fill
every inch of a garden with
desirable plants as densely
as possible.” Landscape
plugs—small seedlings
sold in flats—spaced at 10
to 12 inches on center or
growing from seed are the
most cost-effective ways to
do this. Depending on the
planting, you may need to
mulch around the plants
during the establishment
phase to suppress weeds.Space plants so that they eventually cover the ground and suppress weeds.
HAPPY
YARD,
HAPPY
BIRDSInstead of raking
the leaves to the
curb, spread them
under your trees
and shrubs. Tiny
insects will make
their homes there,
feeding birds. Plus:
free mulch! Pro-
vide containers of
water at different
depths, at differ-
ent heights. One
inch for pollinators.
Three inches for
small birds, placed
higher up since
they’re vulner-
able to predators.
Change the water
once a week.@PopularMechanics _ July/August 2019 77