Put your yard in touch with its inner Chesapeake by drawing on what is natural and traditional in this swath of the mid-Atlantic. Skip the cookie-cutter hyper-green lawn for what best suits our area: A home surrounded by trees and shrubs, with natural shade and a softer, healthier, more inviting landscape that comes with proper care.
The three most important things you can do now:
1. Hold
off on fertilizeruntil
fall to avoid creating weak roots. Excessive
fertilizer won’t help your lawn; it will weaken
it and send runoff into the Bay where crabs and oysters
are already at risk. More
fertilizer tips.
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2. Add
more trees
and shrubs to break up the dull expanse of lawn
and add more color and variety. That will create a more
eye-pleasing aesthetic, provide more natural shade,
help prevent the runoff that threatens the seafood and
mean fewer Saturdays with your lawnmower.
3. Consider
landscape
alternatives that reflect the Chesapeake tradition,
with native
plants, planting
islands, rain
gardens, water
gardens and natural
shade for the patio or deck. These lower-cost or
lower-maintenance alternatives to the typical lawn are
bound to suit any lifestyle.
Chesapeake Yard essentials
▪ How to fertilize for a healthy lawn
▪ Stop the stink: Maintaining
your septic system
▪ Landscape like a local: Where to find native plants
▪ How to use a rain barrel from the state of Maryland
▪ Tips
on keeping your lawn green from the state of Virginia |
