Rally For The Right To A Naturalized Yard

I am lucky I only tend to get one lawn citation a year (or so) and all I need to do is talk my way out of it.

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Trudy Zaja is exactly the kind of person we need in government – sympathetic to the concerns of homeowners interested in naturalizing and restoring their properties, committed to her community and able to inspire people to follow her example.

I am proud to support Trudy in her bid for the office of Democratic Party Committeeman in my community. If you’re interested in signing her petition, volunteering or contributing to her campaign, you should contact the Trudy Zaja For Hanover Township Democratic Party Committeeman Campaign.

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Bamboo floors. We’re not talking about some uneven, bumpy tiki-lounge decor here — we’re talking about a manufactured product much like our familiar hardwood flooring that comes in tongue and groove planks. Only bamboo flooring is not made from trees like oak or pine or maple — bamboo flooring is made from grass, the woody shoots of bamboo to be specific.

Except for the grain, bamboo flooring materials can be made to look very much like the hardwood materials they are meant to replace. They typically come in light colors resembling beech and dark colors resembling oak. Because darker bamboo flooring goes through a process called carbonization that partially breaks down the bamboo, dark bamboo floors are somewhat less durable than light bamboo. Manufacturers put bamboo through an intensive process to make it into ready-to-install tongue-and-groove strips. The process begins with the removal of knots from harvested bamboo stalks. Then the manufacturer sorts the bamboo stalks by size and splits them in order to attain a uniform raw material ready for further processing.

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Read the rest of Bamboo Flooring at Suburban Ecology

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These bare areas may offend some lawn purists, and they may be difficult to care for if approached the wrong way. But to the open-minded, sparse turf in a shaded yard present an opportunity to reduce the amount of lawn to be mowed, and to create an eco-friendly, wildlife-attracting woodland garden.

If the trees are Black Walnut (Juglans nigra), one needs to choose plants resistant to the Juglone substance produced in the tree roots. If not, there are many American native forbs and grasses that will grow very well beneath your trees. And, once established, they will require very little maintenance.

In any case, it’s prettier than a mulch ring.

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Read the rest of Preparing To Plant A Woodland Garden at Suburban Ecology

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Xeriscaping does not relegate you to having a dry and dusty garden, even if you live in an arid or semi-arid area with little rain. The typical xeriscaped garden or lawn follows seven water conserving principles:

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Read the rest of Xeriscaping to Conserve water at Suburban Ecology

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