X. Resources
The following chapter is excerpted from the newly released conservation landscaping primer entitled, Ecoscaping Back to the Future...Restoring Chesapeake Landscapes.. Click here to order your copy!
Chesapeake Ecology Center (CEC)Chesapeake Ecology Center, 410-212-4506, at Adams Academy at Adams Park, 245 Clay Street, Annapolis, MD 21401. Ongoing restoration and demonstration projects, featuring 18 Native Plant Demonstration Gardens, including rain gardens and xeriscapes, on 10 acres in the heart of Annapolis. Self-guided tours; guided tours are also available. Check the CEC’s website for conservation landscaping information, photos of native plant gardens, upcoming events, and more. www.ChesapeakeEcologyCenter.org
There are several helpful websites with extensive information on topics related to conservation landscaping. We have consulted the websites of ––Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay; Chesapeake Bay Foundation; and US Fish and Wildlife Service, Chesapeake Bay Field Office––and included some of their listings. We appreciate the good work these organizations have done, and encourage you to visit their sites for more information.
Bay-Friendly Landscaping (BayScaping)
Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay, BayScapes program, DC 202-466-4633, VA 804-775-0951, PA 717-737-8622, MD 410-377-6270,CAextensive information available.
www.acb-online.org/project.cfm?vid=85
Chesapeake Bay Foundation Headquarters, 410-268-8816, Merrill Center, 6 Herndon Avenue, Annapolis, MD 21403. Ongoing restoration and demonstration projects on 33 acres. Arboretum, formal native landscape gardens, no-mow meadows, non-tidal wetlands, upland reforestation, bio-retention stormwater management, rain gardens, rain barrels. Open to the public weekdays, 9-5. Please check in with the receptionist before touring the grounds. www.cbf.org/landscaping
Chesapeake Bay Program, Better Backyard: A Citizen’s Resource Guide to Beneficial Landscaping and Habitat Restoration in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed, PDF file to download. www.chesapeakebay.net/pubs/781.pdf, or call 800-YOURBAY
University of Maryland Cooperative Extension, Home and Garden Information Center, 800-342-2507 (in Maryland), outside Maryland 410-531-1757. www.hgic.umd.edu
USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, 888-LANDCARE, for free booklet on BackyardCAConservation. Tips on tree planting, wildlife habitat, backyard wetlands, etc. can be downloaded from the website. www.nrcs.usda.gov/feature/backyard
US Fish and Wildlife Service, Chesapeake Bay Field Office, extensive information available. www.fws.gov/chesapeakebay
Bio-Engineering (Biologs) for Rain Gardens and Shoreline ProtectionBiohabitats, Inc., 410-337-3659, President - Keith Bowers, 15 W. Aylesbury Road, Timonium, MD 21093. www.biohabitats.com
IKEX Inc., 800-835-1516, 2601 Emory Road, Finksburg, MD 21048
Pinelands Nursery, Inc., 800-667-2729, 323 Island Road, Columbus, NJ, 08022, bioengineering materials, wetland trees, shrubs, herbaceous plants. www.pinelandsnursery.com
Ragen Associates, 800-752-1010, 20 Larsen Road, Iselin, NJ 08830. www.ragen.com
SI Geosolutions, 800-621-0444, 6025 Lee Highway, Suite 435, Chattanooga, TN 37421. www.fixsoil.com
Compost Websites
Cornell University has a website which also has suggestions for composting at schools.
http://compost.css.cornell.edu/Composting_homepage.html
Maryland Department of the Environment website on composting. www.mde.state.md.us/assets/document/factsheets/composting.pdf
Florida has an outstanding compost web site. www.compostinfo.com
Pennsylvania home composting. www.dep.state.pa.us/dep/deputate/airwaste/wm/recycle/compost/home1.htm
Lawn ResourcesEPA Mid-Atlantic Region 3 has excellent resources, including a power point presentation on conservation landscaping created by Dan Welker. www.epa.gov/reg3esd1/garden
In Maryland, to order free and online publications and downloads on lawns such as “Lawns and the Chesapeake Bay,” contact University of Maryland Cooperative Extension, Home and Garden Information Center, 800-342-2507. www.hgic.umd.edu
Healthy Lawn, Healthy Environment—Caring for your Lawn in an Environmentally Sound Way, Public Information Center PM-2113, EPA, 401 M Street, S.W., Washington, DC 20460, published in 1992
The Lawn, A History of an American Obsession, by Virginia Scott Jenkins, Smithsonian (Institution Press,1994)
The Natural Lawn and Alternatives, Brooklyn Botanic Garden (1993, 1995)
Redesigning the American Lawn, by F. Herbert Bormann, Diana Balmori, Gordon Geballe, (Yale University Press,1993)
Native Plant Information
Delaware Native Plant Society, 302-674-5187. www.delawarenativeplants.org
Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center. www.wildflower.org
Maryland Department of Natural Resources, Tree-mendous Maryland. Trees and shrubs may be ordered by various Maryland community or government groups through this program, at www.dnr.maryland.gov/forests/treemendous, or from the State Forest Tree Nursery at 1-800-TREESMD, or www.dnr.state.md.us/forests/nursery
Maryland Native Plant Society, PO Box 4877, Silver Spring, MD 20914. www.mdflora.org
National Arboretum, 202-245-2726, 3501 New York Avenue, NE, Washington, DC 20002. www.usna.usda.gov/Gardens/faqs/nativeaq1.html
Pennsylvania Native Plant Society, PO Box 281, State College, PA 16804-0281. www.pawildflower.org
Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, Department of Botany. Annotated Checklist of the Vascular Plants of the Washington – Baltimore Area, Part I and Part II, by Stanwyn G. Shetler and Sylvia Stone Orli, an excellent scientific compilation indicating which plants are native and which are not, can be downloaded from http://www.nmnh.si.edu/botany/
USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service. http://plant-materials.nrcs.usda.gov
USDA PLANTS Database. The US Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resource Conservation Service has put together a great resource for practical plant information. http://plants.usda.gov
US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), Maryland native plant lists to download. www.nps.gov/plants/pubs/nativesMD
USFWS, Chesapeake Bay Field Office. Native Plants for Wildlife Habitat and Conservation Landscaping, an excellent book with color photos, by Britt Slattery, Kathryn Reshetiloff, and Susan M. Zwicker, published in 2003. It can be downloaded in pdf format. www.nps.gov/plants/pubs/chesapeake
Virginia Native Plant Society, 540-837-1600. www.vnps.org
Wild Ones, Native Plants, Natural Landscapes. www.for-wild.org
Native Plant Suppliers
(Check also with your local native plant society)
Adkins Arboretum, 410-634-2878, 12610 Eveland Road, PO Box 100, Ridgely, MD 21660. Adkins has biannual native plant sales. Check their website and those of native plant societies for listings of other local native plant sales in the watershed. www.adkinsarboretum.org
Anne Arundel County Planning and Zoning, Annapolis, MD, 410-222-7441. Will provide free marsh grasses (Spartina alterniflora) to Anne Arundel County residents after application and site visit is completed.
Chesapeake Natives, 301-270-4534, 326 Boyd Avenue#2, Takoma Park, MD 20912. Native plants propagated from indigenous seed sources, mail order, nursery location in Riva, MD. Non-profit founded by Dr. Sara Tangren. www.chesapeakenatives.org
Clear Ridge Nursery, 888-226-9226, 217 Clear Ridge Road, Union Bridge, MD 21791, native trees and shrubs for conservation.
Environmental Concern, 410-745-9620, PO Box P, St. Michaels, MD 21663. Non-profit wholesale and retail nursery for riparian and wetland plants, education and research facility. www.wetland.org
Ernst Conservation Seeds, 800-873-3321, 9006 Mercer Pike, Meadville, PA 16335. Seeds and plants (mostly) native to the US; live stakes for streambank restoration. www.ernstseed.com
Lower Marlboro Nursery, 301-812-0808, PO Box 1013, Dunkirk, MD 20754. Shade plants including many native perennials, wildflowers, shrubs. Open by appointment; the owner is Mary Stuart Sierra who has a wealth of information on plant care and cultivation. www.lowermarlboronursery.com
Octoraro Native Plant Nursery, 717-529-4099, in Pennsylvania, native trees, and shrubs for reforestation and streambank restoration. www.octoraro.com. Associated with New Moon Nursery which grows herbaceous perennials, aquatics, grasses, and ferns. www.newmoonnursery.com
Sylva Native Nursery and Seed Company, 717-227-0486, in Pennsylvania, native trees and shrubs. www.sylvanative.com
Non-Native Invasive Plants
Federal-level website with information from across the nation on invasive plant and animal species, www.invasivespecies.gov
Maryland Native Plant Society, PO Box 4877, Silver Spring, MD 20914. Information on controlling non-natives, with lists of native plant alternatives. www.mdflora.org/publications/invasives.htm.
Mid-Atlantic Exotic Pest Plant Council at www.ma-eppc.org
Plant Conservation Alliance, Alien Plant Working Group at www.nps.gov/plants/alien
Plant Invaders of Mid-Atlantic Natural Areas, National Park Service and USFWS, Chesapeake Bay Field Office. Very helpful handbook which includes photos, descriptions, control methods, and native alternatives. This publication is also online at
USDA Agricultural Research Service. Many alien invaders have become agricultural pests. To access a database on agricultural weeds to avoid and remove if possible, search the database by state.
http://invaders.dbs.umt.edu/Noxious_Weeds
Weeds of the Northeast, by Richard H. Uva, Joseph C. Neal, and Joseph M. DiTomaso. (Cornell University, 1977). Excellent photos and descriptions of a variety of weeds, including some native plants as well as alien invasives.
Purple Loosestrife and Phragmites (Common Reed) Both Tough Invasive Plants of Wet Areas
Maryland Department of Natural Resources, 410-827-8612, Wildlife and Heritage Service. www.dnr.state.md.us/wildlife/phrag.asp
The Nature Conservancy, information on control methods for phragmites and purple loosestrife.
http://tncweeds.ucdavis.edu/moredocs/lytsa01.html
Rain Barrels
Arlington Echo Outdoor Education Center, 410-222-1688 or 410-222-3822, 975 Indian Landing Road, Millersville, MD 21108. Download instructions on how to obtain and construct a rain barrel. www.arlingtonecho.org/r_barrels.htm
Chesapeake Bay Foundation, rain barrel publication to download, search for “Build Your Own Rain Barrel”CA(PDF, 1.4MB). www.cbf.org
Gardeners Supply, Burlington, Vermont, source for purchasing rain barrels at 888-833-1412. www.gardeners.com
Maryland Department of Natural Resources Rain Barrel instruction page. www.dnr.state.md.us/smartgrowth/greenbuilding/rainbarrel.html
Rain Gardens
Chesapeake Bay Foundation, on website click on “Bay Resources” to download the publication “Build Your Own Rain Garden” (PDF, 3.0 MB). www.cbf.org
Maplewood, Minnesota Department of Public Works, Engineering Division, 2003. Remember to use species local to our area, but check out ideas by searching for “rainwater gardens.” www.ci.maplewood.mn.us
Prince George’s County (Maryland), 301-883-5832, Programs and Planning Division, 9400 Peppercorn Place, Suite 610, Largo, MD 20774. Prince George’s County BioretentionCAManual, by L. S. Coffman and D. A. Winogradoff, 2001, 2002, a very helpful reference. You will also find an outstanding rain garden plant list and instructions.
www.goprincegeorgescounty.com/government/agencyindex/der/esd/bioretention/bioretention.asp
Rain gardens of Western Michigan’s website contains excellent background and how-to information at www.raingarden.org
University of Wisconsin-Extension’s website has an excellent rain garden manual which can be downloaded. http://clean-water.uwex.edu/pubs/raingarden/rgmanual.pdf
Weems Creek Conservancy, 410-263-2102, PO Box 6018, Annapolis, MD 21401-6018. Rain garden instructions and plant lists. http://weemscreek.org/proj-mine-raingarden.html
Resources for Teachers and Outdoor Educators
Chesapeake Bay Foundation has a wealth of information, particularly on working with students on various water-related projects, such as raising SAV grasses, teacher training courses, and opportunities for student trips and programs on the Bay. www.cbf.org
Maryland Association for Environmental and Outdoor Education website has information on conferences, events, information on the Maryland Green School Program. www.maeoe.org
Project WET (Water Education for Teachers) has a website which tells how to find local teacher training and other materials. www.projectwet.org
Sharing Nature with Children, by Joseph Cornell, (DAWN Publications, 1998) is a basic guidebook to consult, with activities and philosophy on introducing children to nature study. Particularly helpful if you haven’t worked in outdoor education before.
USFWS, Chesapeake Bay Field Office’s website has extensive information for teachers at www.fws.gov/chesapeakebay/schoolyd.htm
Your state’s Department of Natural Resources, such as Maryland DNR or the Virginia Naturally program may have lesson plans, grants and information that will be useful to you and your students. www.dnr.state.md.us/education/ or www.vanaturally.com
Your county or school system may have an outdoor education program with training and programs available, such as Arlington Echo Outdoor Education Center, in Anne Arundel County Maryland. www.arlingtonecho.org
Soil Test Kits (Essential When Thinking of Amending Soil)
University of Maryland Cooperative Extension, Home and Garden Information Center, 800-342-2507, has a list of regional (VA, PA, DE, OH, GA) laboratories who will do soil tests at cost. www.agnr.umd.edu/SoilTesting
Pennsylvania Cooperative Extension Service, contact your local county extension office or search the directory. www.extension.psu.edu/extmap.html
Virginia Cooperative Extension Service, contact your local county extension office or search the directory. www.ext.vt.edu/offices
Stormwater InformationCenter for Watershed Protection, 410-461-8323, 8391 Main Street, Ellicott City, MD 21043-4605. A non-profit corporation that provides local governments, activists, and watershed organizations with the technical tools needed for protecting water quality. Information is available on watershed planning, watershed restoration, stormwater management, watershed research, better site design, education and outreach, and watershed training. www.cwp.org
The Low Impact Development Center, 301-982-5559, nc., 5010 Sunnyside Avenue, Suite 200, Beltsville, MD 20705, focuses on the design and planning of a development site to reduce environmental and water quality impacts, through runoff retention, grading, planting and stormwater management. www.lowimpactdevelopment.org
WetlandsEnvironmental Concern, 410-745-9620, PO Box P, St. Michaels, MD 21663. Non-profit wholesale and retail nursery for riparian and wetland plants, education and research facility. www.wetland.org
USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, 888-LANDCARE, for free booklet on Backyard Conservation. Tips on backyard wetlands and ponds can be downloaded from the website.
http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/feature/backyard
Wildlife Habitat
National Wildlife Federation, Backyard Habitat Certification Program. www.nwf.org/backyardwildlifehabitat/habitatmeter.cfm
USFWS, Chesapeake Bay Field Office, Annapolis, MD. http://chesapeakebay.fws.gov/
Wild Acres Program, Maryland Department of Natural Resources. www.dnr.state.md.us/wildlife/wildacres.asp
WindStar Wildlife Institute, Backyard Habitat Restoration, has aCACertification and Internet Course with an emphasis on creating habitat for wildlife using native plants. www.windstar.org
Xeriscaping
University of Maryland Cooperative Extension, pamphlet on xeriscaping online. (Plant list doesn’t distinguish between native and non-native drought-tolerant species.)
http: //www.agnr.umd.edu/users/hgic/pubs/online/hg25.pdf
Virginia Cooperative Extension, website with information on how to create a “Water-Wise Landscape.” http://www.ext.vt.edu/pubs/envirohort/426-713/426-713.html
General Reference Books and Field GuidesThe American Woodland Garden, by Rick Darke (Timber Press, 2003)
Chesapeake Bay: A Field Guide, by Christopher P. White (Tidewater Publishers, 1989)
Common Plants of the Mid-Atlantic Coast, by Gene M. Silberhorn (Johns Hopkins University Press, 1982)
Eastern Trees, by George A. Petrides and Janet Weir (Peterson Field Guides, 1998)
The Garden Primer, by B. Damrosch (Workman Publishing Company, 1988)
Grasses: An Identification Guide, by Lauren Brown (Houghton Mifflin, 1979)
Growing and Propagating Showy Native Woody Plants, by Richard E. Birr (University of North Carolina Press, 1992)
Landscaping with Native Trees, by Guy Steinberg and Jim Wilson (Chapters, 1995, out of print)
Landscaping with Wildflowers: An Environmental Approach to Gardening, by Jim Wilson (Houghton Mifflin, 1992)
Life in the Chesapeake Bay, by Alice Jane and Robert L. Lippson (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2000)
The Native Habitat Garden, by Ken Druse (Clarkson Potter, 1994)
The New England Wildflower Society Guide to Growing and Propagating Wildflowers of the United States and Canada, by William Cullina (Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, 2000)
Noah’s Garden, by Sara Stein (Houghton Mifflin Company, NY, 1993)
Planting Noah’s Garden: Further Adventures in Backyard Ecology, by Sara Stein (Houghton Mifflin Company, NY, 1997)
A Sand County Almanac, and Sketches Here and There, by Aldo Leopold, 1948 original publication, (Oxford University Press, New York, 1987)
Second Nature: A Gardener’s Education, by Michael Pollan (Grove Press, 1991)
Weeds of the Northeast, by Richard Uva, Joseph C. Neal, and Joseph M. DiTomaso (Cornell University Press, 1997)
Wetlands, by William A. Nearing (The Audubon Society Nature Guides, Alfred A. Knopf, 1989)
Blue Mistflower
(Conoclinium coelestinum)
Woodoats
(Chasmanthium latifolium)
Hyssop-leaved
Thoroughwort
(Eupatorium hyssopifolium)
