Conservation begins at home, and our gardens and landscapes offer some of the most immediate opportunities for the average gardener to support the environment. By working with local conditions, we create landscapes that thrive with fewer inputs and contribute (even if in a small way) to healthier ecosystems.
These small actions add up, especially in the urban and suburban areas where many Iowans garden.
Partnering With Your Environment
The basis of good conservation practices aligns with good gardening practices. This is because good gardens are about “leaning in” to the surrounding environment, not defying it! There are many ways gardeners can promote conservation practices while managing their landscape.
Mulching & Composting
Covering soil with organic mulch protects it from erosion, slows water movement, and gradually adds organic matter. Composting keeps nutrients on-site, reducing waste and building healthy soil over time. Organic mulches, including cover crops, and composting help introduce organic matter into the soil, building healthy soil that promotes healthy plant growth. This means gardens require fewer interventions to look good.
Integrated Pest Management
Pests are a normal part of gardening, but thoughtful management begins with observation. Identifying issues accurately, understanding acceptable levels of damage, and choosing resistant varieties reduce the need for drastic action. Strong cultural practices, such as proper watering, mowing, soil care, and plant selection, further limit problems. Physical and biological strategies come next, and chemical options remain the last option when all else fails.
Learn more in this publication: Integrated Pest Management for Home Gardens and Landscapes.
Chemical Use With Care
When chemicals are necessary, using them responsibly protects the garden and the surrounding environment. Responsible use of pesticides starts with understanding the differences among products. Synthetic pesticides may be produced unsustainably and natural or organic pesticides may be expensive or inconsistent. Minimizing off-target effects on beneficial or neutral pests and following all label directions ensures interventions remain precise and safe. Many challenges can be addressed through nonchemical approaches, which sometimes require more time but are often more sustainable in the long term.
Right Plant, Right Place
Selecting plants that naturally fit a site’s conditions saves time and resources. A plant growing in an environment it is well adapted to requires fewer inputs, giving you better-looking plants with less work. Be thoughtful about plant selection, favoring natives and diversity, which strengthen the garden and enrich its ecological value.
Navigating Native Plants
Native plants support native ecosystems. They are a great tool for maintaining balance with other organisms in the environment by providing a food source, a place to reproduce, and shelter, among other things.
Remember, however, that just because it’s native, it doesn’t make it the right plant for that particular place. Urban and suburban landscapes are not "native" spaces. They have highly altered soils and very different pest and disease pressures. Even when planting natives, they must be matched to the (often highly altered) site. For example, native plants well-suited for dry areas will struggle in wet, compacted soils so common in suburban neighborhoods. Additionally, native plants, especially prairie plants, behave differently in managed landscapes. They often become taller or ganglier because of reduced root competition. Some natives become aggressive spreaders in disturbed or altered soils.
This means that native or not, plants must still be managed to support the local ecosystem.
Invasive and Non-Native Plants
Understanding a plant's growth habits before adding it to the garden prevents future problems.
Exotic invasives are problematic because they displace or compete with native species and do not always fully support all local organisms, such as insects, birds, or other animals. Many gardeners are familiar with non-native garden plants that have “gone wild,” such as callery pear, creeping Charlie, and multiflora rose, among others.
It can be easy to introduce invasive plants in garden settings. Be familiar with what you are growing. Most invasive garden plants are known to be invasive, and a little bit of research or education will reveal that. Be cautious with free plant divisions from friends or neighbors. This kind-hearted gesture sometimes comes because the plants are aggressive spreaders. That’s why the gardener has so much to give away!.
Keep in mind also, not all exotic plants are invasive, and not all native plants behave well in managed landscapes. Lilac, peony, and marigolds have been grown in Iowa gardens for centuries and have not proven to be problematic. Poison ivy, eastern red cedar, and trumpet creeper are native plants that can be quite troublesome in a landscape setting. All of these plants can contribute to a sustainable landscape, but only work when carefully managed.
Managing Water Wisely
Most garden spaces will need irrigation at some point to stay looking good. Irrigation is not inherently bad, but doing it in an irresponsible way definitely is! Watering with intention by doing it deeply, infrequently, and with well-maintained tools like soaker hoses, keeps plants vigorous without unnecessary runoff or overuse of resources. A simple rain gauge prevents watering when nature already has. Learn more in this article: Watering Tips for the Garden, Lawn, and Landscape.
How water moves through a landscape shapes both gardens and communities. Practices that slow, capture, and infiltrate water, such as rain gardens, rain barrels, and permeable surfaces, reduce erosion and improve water quality. Mulched or vegetated surfaces protect the soil, and responsible irrigation ensures plants receive what they need without excess.
Rethinking Lawns
Lawns serve practical purposes, but using them as the default landscape creates challenges. They demand time, water, fertilizer, and herbicides to look their best. These monocultures are more prone to pests and diseases and support very little diversity. In a sustainable, thriving ecosystem, diversity is key!
Alternatives such as pollinator-friendly lawns, groundcovers, prairies, meadows, and mixed borders provide more diversity and require fewer inputs once established. Even mowing less can increase ecological benefits.
Encouraging People to Go Outside
One of the most powerful conservation tools is simply being outdoors. We conserve what we know, so get outside and help others to get outside to learn more. When people garden, hike, birdwatch, picnic, or explore local natural areas, they develop stronger connections to the environment. Those connections fuel conservation efforts and deepen appreciation for the ecosystems around us. Local agencies and Extension programs offer resources for anyone eager to learn more or get involved.
More Information
- Master Conservationist Program
- Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Programs
- Prairie and Conservation Resources for Gardeners
- Alternatives to Common or Invasive Landscape Plants
- Landscape Plants for Difficult Sites
- Landscaping for Wildlife
Photo credits: 1: Aaron Steil; 2: Aaron Steil; 3: Aaron Steil; 4: Aaron Steil; 5: Aaron Steil; 6: Aaron Steil