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Gardening

Go Natural with Your Yard

Our yards are our outdoor homes: fun, beautiful, great spaces for relaxing. But in taking care of them, we often use water inefficiently, produce a lot of yard waste, and overuse chemicals that are bad for the environment and our families’ health.
The good news is, by making some simple changes in how we care for our yards we can:

  • Save Money on water, waste disposal, and chemicals.
  • Save Time – working with nature is easier, in the long run Protect our families’ health by reducing contact with chemicals
  • Protect the Environment
  • Conserve our precious water supplies, and leave more in rivers for salmon
  • Keep our streams and lakes clean by reducing the need for chemicals
  • Recycle yard trimmings into free fertilizer

Put nature to work in your yard
Nature wastes nothing. In natural landscapes, soil life recycles dead plants into food for new plant growth. Plants are adapted to the water, sun, and soil available in their site. And the wide variety of plants, soil organisms, insects, and animals keeps most pests and diseases in check.
By working with nature in your yard, you can have a great looking landscape that’s easier to care for and healthier for families, pets, wildlife, and our great Northwest environment.
How? It’s easy…Start with these 5 steps:
1) Build healthy soil
2) Plant right for your site
3) Practice smart watering
4) Think twice before using pesticides
5) Practice natural lawn care
If you have questions or want more information, call the experts at the Garden Hotline, 206-633-0224, e-mail [email protected] or see the resources at the end of this guide.