Page 60 - South Mississippi Living - March, 2024

HOME & GARDEN
Gardeningfor Gulf the
story by Amanda Nalley
S pring is on its way. That means more hours of daylight, warmer
weather, and working on our gardens. Whether your style is
beachy-chic or warm and woodsy, the Gulf of Mexico in all its splendor is a great place to take your inspiration.
Looking for ways to improve your garden that appeals to the senses and is good for the Gulf? The following home and garden ideas will help you create a beautiful garden that keeps on giving to you and the environment.
• Fill your yard with native plants. These species provide food for pollinators, attract birds and butterflies to your yard, and they generally require less watering, pesticides, and fertilizer.
• Reduce your runoff. Installing rain barrels, rain gardens, and reducing the amount of paved surface near your home can help keep chemicals in your yard from reaching nearby wetlands. Rain barrels are great for collecting rain water that can be used later to water your lawn or wash your car. Rain gardens are low areas in your landscape filled with water-loving plants that collect extra water when it rains.
• Renovate with storms in mind. Strengthening your home during construction, remodeling, and re- roofing not only keeps your assets protected, it prevents storm debris.
• Live near the water? Consider a living shoreline. Living shorelines use natural materials to stabilize the soil and keep your shoreline from washing away while also allowing marsh grasses to grow and creating habitat for fish and wildlife.
• Go non-toxic with your pesticides and fertilizers. Don’t spray your lawn on windy or rainy days, which ends up washing chemicals into our waterways.
• If you are going to fertilize, use non- nitrogen lawn supplements. Excess nutrients in the water can promote algae growth, which is bad for people and marine life.
• Start a compost pile. You’ll keep trash out of the landfill and it’s a great way to nourish your garden.
Learn more about ways to create
an eco-friendly home and garden
by following The Gulf of Mexico Alliance on Facebook and Instagram.
FAR LEFT: Living shorelines use natural materials to stabilize the soil.
MIDDLE LEFT: Rain barrels conserve rain water for later use in the garden.
MIDDLE RIGHT: Composting is a great way to keep table scraps out of the landfill and produce fertilizer for the garden. FAR RIGHT: Native plants like Dwarf Huckleberry produce fruits that are eaten by a variety of birds and other wildlife.
@gulfofmexicoalliance
60 | March 2024
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