For Residential Gardeners

Select plants to fit existing soil moisture conditions.

Livable Plants for the Home Landscape >

Provide irrigation only when required for plant establishment or management during extended drought.

Landscape Management for Water Conservation >

Use captured and treated rainwater, grey-water, and wastewater for on-site water needs such as when landscape irrigation is necessary.

Harvesting Water >

Reduce or limit impervious surfaces to improve water infiltration.

Permeable vs. Impermeable Surfaces >

Reduce stormwater discharge by installing gardens to slow water movement and encourage infiltration (rain gardens, green roofs) rather than relying on stormwater collection and removal from the site.

Rain Gardens >

Green Roofs >

Prevent sediment runoff with well-developed plant cover and by using appropriate sediment-control practices during site construction.

Preventing Erosion >

Use lawn only when it performs a specific function such as a play surface, pathway, or foreground for plant display, thus reducing extra inputs of chemicals, energy and time.

Turf Grass Madness: Reasons to Reduce the Lawn in Your Landscape >

Groundcover Alternatives to Turf Grass >

Planting and Maintaining a Bee Lawn >

South Greenhouse Garden (A no-lawn garden at UDBG) >

Groundcovers with Wildlife Benefits >

Eliminate the use of and remove vegetation that can harm ecosystems, such as recognized invasive species.

DE Official Invasive Species Plant List >

Mistaken Identity? Invasive Plants and their Native Look-Alikes >

Plants for a Livable Delaware >

Delaware Native Plants for Landscaping and Restoration >

Choose plants that are adapted to the site’s conditions and support local wildlife.

Pollinator Plants Mid-Atlantic Region >

Controlling Backyard Invasives >

Great Plants for Tough Spaces >

Unusual Bulbs for the Garden & Greenhouse >

Consider replacing alien species with appropriate native species that achieve the same purpose (e.g. aesthetics, function).

Meadows & Buffers for Bees: Creating Mid-Atlantic Pollinator Habitats >

Native Plants for Delaware Landscapes (trees & shrubs) >

Plants for Wildlife Habitat and Conservation Landscaping (Chesapeake Bay Watershed) >

Use Integrated Pest Management (IPM) strategies (i.e. scouting, life-cycle knowledge and decision-making based on that information).

Protecting Pollinators at Home: Smart Pest Management >

Organic Approved Pesticides >

Organic Approved Pesticides Overview >

Penn State Extension Weed Identification >

Univ Mass Amherst Weed Herbarium >

Maintain and increase vegetative coverage to increase biodiversity.

Supporting Biodiversity in the Garden >

Monarch Waystation Brochure >

Monarch Waystation Program >

Delaware Gardening: Challenge to Newcomers >

Preserve as many important (mature, healthy, native) plants as possible.

Checklist for Plant Removal Decisions >

Keep and reuse landscape by-products. For example, collect and shred leaves to use as mulch, and compost vegetative debris to mix into the soil and improve its structure.

Recycling Leaves >

Yard Waste and Composting >

Select and use renewable, local, and/or low-energy input landscape materials. Avoid materials, products, and practices that are harmful to the environment.

Sustainable Landscape Materials and Practices >

Create spaces that are inviting and useful.

Designing a Sustainable Landscape to Serve Your Needs >

Value the human component of landscapes and social benefits gained by interaction with gardens and natural spaces.

Human Benefits of Green Spaces >