By Jesse Durko
Earth Day has been around since, well, surely since the beginning of time. It’s a shame to honor its existence only one day a year, but at least the date serves as a marker reminding us to think about it. The gay community, I feel, is generally more conscious about the earth than most.
Most of us juggle the simple task of putting trash here and recyclables there as we go about dashing through our busy lives. Even though we do so much, maybe Earth Day is the one day we should “think Globally and act Locally” and ask ourselves if we are doing all that we can?
Are we turning off lights when not needed? Are we combining errands, or sharing a ride to save fuel? It’s a good day to stop and think about our “carbon footprint“.
One way we can help the earth is to plant our gardens wisely by using water smartly. There is a term for this approach – it is called Xerophytic Gardening.
I don’t really like the term, as it makes me think of cacti (which I have and like) but South Florida doesn’t and shouldn’t look like a desert. What it really means is to plant your garden to utilize the existing conditions to their best advantage.
Noting such things as sun and shade patterns, wet and dry areas or soil types, we can then think how each area will be used; walkways, entrances, patios, pools and, of course, your hot tub! Now we can explore style, and there are as many landscape variations as there are people.
It’s a wonderful and rewarding way of expressing yourself.
You could decide to make your landscape tropical or you could go for a northern look or maybe more formal, natural, Italian, Japanese, serene or exciting – x it’s all up to you!
Whatever style you chose, I recommend aiming for something a little “over the top,” just for fun.
You should also have any kind of plant you like, but herein lies the key: Each different kind of plant utilizes different amounts of water so, by placing plants of like requirements together, we can create zones, allowing us to water less where it isn’t necessary, while adequately watering areas that do.
Planting around your home or anywhere helps the world in many ways, for not only are plants beautiful, delighting the eye and pleasing to the soul, but they do wonderful things for the environment, too. A single tree helps filter the air and produces oxygen – not to mention its ability to cool us and our houses, thus reducing our electricity costs and our carbon footprint.
At Jesse Durko’s Nurse
ry, we offer an extensive collection of trees and shrubs not commonly seen in regular nurseries throughout southern Florida, many of which are specially adapted to growing in gardens requiring less water.