[SLI-public] Sustainable Landscaping

[Maria Bucci]

Turn all that grass into gardens! 

Some ideas to consider that offer many benefits -- 

1. Establish a community garden. There are grants for this type of thing. Or, partner with your municipality or another organization. 
2. Use native plants in strategic places to create neat garden spaces. 
3. Install a rain garden. 
4. Install a story walk. 
5. Install a reading garden. 

Obviously, these actions will require some fundraising, but long-term benefits are well worth the investment and will offer programming and partnership opportunities. 

See [ https://woodlibrary.org/readinggarden/ | https://woodlibrary.org/readinggarden/ ] 

Good luck! 

Maria T Bucci 
Director of Development 
Wood Library 
134 N Main St 
Canandaigua, NY 14424 
585-394-1381 ext 328 
mbucci at owwl.org 
[ https://mail.owwl.org/woodlibrary.org | Wood Library is Rochester Regional Library Council's 2023 Public Library of the Year! ] 



From: "Lisa Laico - WAR via SLI-Public" <sli-public at lists.suffolknet.org> 
To: sli-public at lists.suffolknet.org 
Sent: Tuesday, August 22, 2023 3:58:19 PM 
Subject: [SLI-public] Sustainable Landscaping 

Hello, everyone - 

Crowd-sourcing this question. Our library is fortunate enough to be situated on a couple of acres of property, with rather extensive lawns. For three years, we did not treat the lawns with any kinds of fertilizers, herbicides, etc. It was an environmentally-minded choice. The result after 3 years was that the grass was decimated - huge patches of mud and weeds caused by a grub infestation. It was really unattractive and as a practical matter, not something you'd want to have a picnic on, or even stroll around. So we resumed treatment and after 2 seasons, the lawn is back. However, patrons are beginning to complain. One advanced the theory that peppermint oil is the cure for all our lawn problems. I'm not so sure. 

The State DEC has provided me with a list of "reduced-risk" pesticides, such as microbial treatments, bio-pesticides and horticultural oils, but explicitly declined to comment on their efficacy. They also provided the EPA's list of more conventional reduced-risk pesticides. 

Our pest control company does have some organic treatments but says they are not for commercial applications and that we would not be happy with the results. 

So: if your library has extensive lawn and you've encountered the same issue -- balancing aesthetics against the concern about safety and impact on ground water, etc. -- what solutions have you found effective? I would love any feedback from anyone who's successfully navigated this. Thank you! 

Lisa 

Lisa Laico, Director 
[ https://www.albertwisnerlibrary.org/ | Albert
 Wisner Public Library ] 
1 McFarland Drive 
Warwick, NY 10990 
845.986.1047 , ext. 102 
A WPL Sustainability Team 


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