Climate Change and Native Lawns

On By durhammastergardenersIn Durham NC, garden design, Gardening information, gardening NC, lawns, Natives, Uncategorized

By Eric Wiebe, NC State Extension Master GardenerSM volunteer of Durham County

This blog post serves as a follow-up to a previous discussion on climate change and its impact on gardening practices, which can be found here.

Drawing inspiration from a presentation by Ben Bergmann, the Horticulturist at the City of Durham, this article focuses on applying lessons learned from public spaces in Durham to our own yards. Specifically, it addresses the shift away from a turf grass-centric view of yards towards a broader perspective that fosters a healthier relationship with our environment, while also addressing the challenges posed by global climate change.

Rotary Memorial Park, City of Durham. A public space using a diversity of native plants and an inspiration for home gardeners. (Image credit: Eric Wiebe)

The concepts discussed here fall under various names, including native lawns, meadow lawns, and green or sustainable landscaping. While these terms may differ slightly in their goals, they generally advocate for moving away from turf grass-dominated landscapes towards ones that feature native plants and other species requiring less water, chemicals, and maintenance. Alternatives to lawns include a diversity of plants such as bunched grasses, sedges, and forbs. Succulents and cacti can also be used when appropriate.

From Left to Right: 1) Schizachyrium scoparium – Little Bluestem. An example of a grass. (Image Credit: NCSU Plant Toolbox:CC BY-SA 3.0), 2) Carex cherokeensis – Cherokee Sedge. An example of a sedge. (Image credit: NCSU Plant Toolbox CC BY 2.0). 3) Trifolium pratense – Red Clover. An example of a forb. (Image credit: NCSU Plant Toolbox CC BY-SA 3.0).

Plant diversity is key, as each type of plant can serve a different function in the landscape. While grasses and sedges are typically monocots, forbs are dicots without woody stems, such as clover, violets, and asters. Having different plant types allows for various niche situations such as sun exposure, moisture levels, and dry areas.

Two homes in Durham, NC that have replaced the traditional front lawn with various plants including many types of succulents, such as cacti and Euphorbias. (Image credit: Marcia Kirinus)

While designs influenced by these principles may incorporate hardscape elements, they predominantly focus on living plant matter. Incorporating diverse plant life not only expands the aesthetic possibilities but also ensures that other ecological concerns are addressed. For instance, some roots are deep and help stabilize areas prone to erosion, while others enhance water management by absorbing rainfall quickly, thus preventing local flooding. Plants also have a buffering effect on direct and radiant heat, lowering the local temperature around your house. They can support ecosystems, including pollinators, and aid in carbon sequestration by locking carbon in their biomass.

Carbon sequestration, in particular, plays a vital role in addressing climate change by preventing the release or removing carbon from the atmosphere. While it’s true that all plants, including turf grass, sequester carbon, the practices associated with turf lawns are less than ideal. Turf grass clippings, for instance, often end up in landfills where they produce methane, a potent greenhouse gas. Additionally, the maintenance of traditional turf lawns requires significant energy inputs, primarily derived from carbon-intensive processes. Given the current water scarcity in many regions, prioritizing water use is crucial, making the watering of turf grass a less sustainable option.

The overarching goal, therefore, is to prioritize plants that store more biomass over longer lifecycles and to adopt maintenance practices that minimize water, chemical, and energy inputs. While it’s understandable that homeowners may desire some lawn space for various activities, such as recreation or socializing, it’s essential to consider the amount of space actually needed for these purposes.

Structuring your garden with plants for birds. Note all canopy layers serve a function. (Image credit: Audubon Society of Northern Virginia)

Consider opting for a ‘meadow’ lawn instead of a traditional lawn. A meadow lawn is where you let whatever green plants and grasses grow and then mow for walkability. This is one step better than eliminating everything green except fescue. A meadow lawn requires the lowest amount of inputs of water, synthetic chemicals, and power equipment to maintain. Other things you can do if you need lawn space include using the mulch setting on your lawn mower and allowing for the clippings to be reincorporated back into your lawn. A great inspiration for the meadow lawn is given at The Cornell Botanic Gardens. They discuss in deeper context the application of native lawns and provide additional educational materials to get you going on your project.

It’s crucial to ensure that whatever species you choose are well-suited for your local climate and situation. Don’t forget that locally in Durham, NC, our USDA plant hardiness zone shifted from zone 7b to zone 8a. The rest of the country has also shifted, so please see what your new plant hardiness zone is.

In conclusion, by embracing sustainable landscaping practices, we not only contribute to mitigating climate change but also create more engaging and environmentally friendly landscapes around our homes.

We hope the resources provided below will inspire you to explore sustainable planting options for your yard, fostering a more resilient and captivating environment.

Resources and Additional Information:

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I Started a Flower Farm: Chapter Two

On By durhammastergardenersIn Uncategorized

By Marcia Kirinus, NC State Extension Master GardenerSM volunteer of Durham County

This is the second entry in an ongoing series chronicling my journey as a flower farmer.  If you missed the first installment, you can catch up here.

I started the flower farm as a Master GardenerSM final project. It was a quick and enjoyable lesson in properly laying out an existing blank space in the landscape and transforming it into a productive growing area. It turns out I’m a pretty good grower, and the flowers were lush and plentiful. However, where my skillset fell short was on the business end – getting the flowers out to the market. I lacked the drive or desire to hustle in that way. I graduated from the Master Gardener training program, and my project seemed like it was over. I didn’t have a market but I had a lot of flowers. In the fall of 2023 when I should have planted for this spring’s market, I didn’t. I wasn’t focused on going to market. At this time last year, I had so many flowers that I was gifting them to neighbors and cemeteries. This year, I have a few snapdragons that I covet for weekly bouquets.

Left: The farm lush with flowers in April 2023. Right: the farm today 2024. A lack of planning and planting in the fall of 2023 leaves it bear today. Image credit: Marcia Kirinus

When the owner of our local coffee shop approached me to sell bouquets starting in April in her shop, I hesitated, as I had not planned or planted in the fall of 2023 for a spring garden in 2024.. Committing meant I would need to realign my focus to get flowers to the market, and I had to figure out how I would do that. Despite my lack of preparation, I committed.

First batch of flowers to market April 2024. Image credit: Matt Lunceford Blivin

Luckily for me, I did plant heavily at my house last fall, and since mid-April, I have been supplying the coffee shop from my front and side yards. So far every week I am able to provide 16 bouquets ranging in size. But the supply is dwindling as we go into summer and it makes me nervous. In response, I have planted warm season annuals and many fall natives at the farm to continue the supply chain. It’s an uncomfortable feeling when you look out at your flowers and you can see where the gap of supply might fall. It seems it will start on Mother’s Day and continue for a week or two unless the farm flowers really kick in. I am also ordering my cool season seed for 2025, which I will sow in August 2024 for spring 2025. I don’t want to get stuck without spring flowers ever again.

Flowers growing in the front and side yard that make up the spring bouquets until the flowers start blooming in the farm this summer. Image credit: Marcia Kirinus

My bouquets sell well. People are receptive to the unique variety of the fresh flowers and in two days they are mostly sold. Each bouquet is different in size and makeup. There are short ones with sweet peas and large ones with Alliums and foxgloves. There are luscious peonies and delicate white Ammi. It takes me a long time to get them ready, and if I were working for someone else, I would have been fired long ago. But I keep at it with a mix of joy and dread about getting them together and to market each week. I’m learning something new, and in my retirement, this aspect of the farm is the most enjoyable. Besides growing, tending, and harvesting the flowers, there are other things to consider. There is a whole post-harvest science I had to learn. Here are some of the highlights:

Harvesting Cut Flowers

From left to right: Harvest buckets of Columbine, Amsonia, Chinese Fringe tree, Ammi, Euphorbia, Larkspur, Snapdragons, False Solomon’s Seal, Red Clover from the front and side yard. Image credit: Marcia Kirinus

Each flower needs to be harvested at its peak moment for maximum vase life. The criteria differ from flower to flower, and I appreciate how different they can be from each other. For example, a peony should be in the ‘marshmallow’ stage – soft but not fully open. If they are already open, their vase life is only a few days. Other flowers like zinnia need to be fully open, as they won’t open in a vase. Some blossoms should be 3/4 open, like foxgloves and snapdragons. Larkspur and poppies should be ‘just cracking color’. Then there are those that will not survive unless harvested as tight buds, such as iris and lychnis.

The length, strength, and straightness of a stem are equally important. It is impressive how a flower might seem perfect in the landscape but has little to no value in the vase. A crooked stem messes with the overall symmetry of a bouquet, so these are best left in the landscape to enjoy. Bachelor buttons, for example, have ‘weak necks’. I read this and wondered what that meant. After picking a few, I understood. They have a weak area right at the base of the bloom (the neck) that thins and twists. The flower will collapse at that point if it is not delicately handled. Sunflowers also have this problem.

Another lesson learned is that harvesting quality flowers is a three-day process. If, for example, they go to market on Friday, they should be watered heavily on Wednesday evening so the stem and petal have high turgidity after cutting. Early on Thursday morning before the sun hits, they should be harvested and ‘conditioned’. That means they go directly into a clean bucket with water that has a pH of 3.5-4. There is an entire science devoted to post-harvest care of flowers, with vast amounts of papers written on best practices. I read quite a few. I bring the pH down to 3.5 – 4 with citric acid. Luckily, we are a household of scientists and bakers, so pH paper and citric acid are standard fare.

Research also shows that after hydration, they need a preservation solution that can provide energy to buds which continue to develop and open. The development of the buds requires food in the form of carbohydrates, which are normally stored in the leaves and stem. If a flower is cut, the stores of carbohydrates might not be sufficient to open the flower fully. For this reason, it is placed in a preservation solution. The solution is sugar and water. Added to this is a little bleach that will kill any bacteria and fungi that might be on the stem. Bacteria quickly shortens the flower’s life in the vase. Since this is my first foray into this world, I can only go by what the experts recommend. I make these solutions and follow their protocols. What I do know is that many people compliment the bouquets on their longevity in the vase.

Flower Arranging 101

Getting ready to make bouquets from the harvest of the front and side yard. Peony, Columbine, Ammi, Red Clover. Image credit: Marcia Kirinus

The process doesn’t get easier post-growing; it’s just different. Arranging has its own demands, and everyone has a different arranging style. Youtube University, where I learn many new tricks, combined with the knowledge of a generous florist friend, helps me develop a style. What I learned is that there is an overarching American style and a European style of arranging. The American flower arrangement is a 2-D bouquet that lays flat and is meant to go up against a wall. The European version is a round, 3-D arrangement, and sits in the middle of a table, looking good from all angles. There is no right or wrong style here; it’s just a preference.

An American style bouquet which is made flat to go up against a wall. Flowers used are Foxglove, Larkspur. Photo Image: Marcia Kirinus

The Greens in a fresh Bouquet

It’s no small task to get good greens in your bouquet. Sometimes the arrangement is better with lacy ferns, and sometimes you need a big brush of green as a background. What I find is that the clunky flowers like snapdragons want a delicate green, whereas the delicate flowers like sweet peas ask for a solid, uniform backdrop. I like the looks of nine bark and witch hazel for this. But these are trees, and the harvest ends up being a pruning session. You can start to see how time adds up in making these ‘arrangements’.

The Fillers in a Fresh Bouquet

Foraging from your landscape because of a poorly planned planting schedule in the farm takes a toll on the ‘fillers’ in the yard. The fillers are the flowers that give your bouquet grace and movement. I’ve exhausted the Ammi, Amsonia, and Euphorbia. Thankfully, I have a slew of Red Huskers Penstemon coming into flower. I also look at the wild places like open fields and woods edge with a critical eye and can spot lively grass that would add bounce to any bouquet. I now travel with a bucket of water and clippers.

The Focal Flower

So far, I’ve been lucky with snapdragons, giant Alliums, Acanthus flowers, and foxgloves from my yard to be used as focal flowers. As the season progresses and I exhaust my landscape, my generous neighbors have offered me their flowers. I am fortunate.

The Price

How do you price a bouquet? Mostly it seems you count stems. One dollar, one stem for the common flowers like cosmos and zinnias. Focal flowers like snapdragons and peonies are extra. They range from an extra two to four dollars apiece. Other considerations would be the quality of fillers and greens, which are mostly added as support stems without monetary value unless they are really special. So a $10 bouquet will have 10 common flowers or a focal flower at $4 and six regular flowers. That is how I’m told they should be priced, but when you are putting the stems all together, it’s hard not to add another here or there for balance.

Wrapping it up

I wrap my bouquets in brown craft paper. It sounds simple and easy, but I challenge you to try it and repeat it consistently over and over. The idea behind the wrap is to protect the blossoms from mechanical damage while being handled. But the paper cannot get wet, so it needs to ride high on the collar but not so high that you can’t peek into the wrap to see what’s inside. It’s a balance: high and dry, but not too tight or too loose where the paper slips down into the water.

There is so much to learn on this journey. I hope you come with me.

Resources and Additional Information

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