Kimberly Stern Patti Banks Associates

Related Articles

299

• Food for Thought
• Ground Zeroscaping
• Building up the Tear-Down
• The New Gold Standard
• The Greenest House in the City

Front yard

Backyard prairie

In the Midwest, we often whip our yards and gardens into submission, forcing species not necessarily harmonious with the region’s growing conditions to bloom and thrive. Frequently, the visual pleasure we receive from our efforts is to the environment’s detriment; harsh chemicals and forced irrigation cause stress, strain, pollution and depletion in obvious and subtle ways.

Many cities throughout the country are re-evaluating not just public parks and gardens but also encouraging homeowners to landscape in ways that don’t require supplemental irrigation or application of pesticides and fertilizers. In some cities, like Denver, where the term “xeriscaping” was coined, residents are helping preserve the city’s and surrounding suburbs’ precious water supplies by replacing grass lawns with gravel and native plantings.

Patti Banks Associates (PBA), a Kansas City-based environmental planning and landscape architectural and consulting firm, specializes in green solution planning and design for public and private clients. Matt Schoell-Schafer, a LEED-accredited project designer with PBA, says the xeriscaping method — or zeroscaping — ensures that plants and grasses with maintenance requirements appropriate to the local climate are installed in landscape designs.

“Zeroscaping is not just rocks and cacti,” he explains. “Many different plant environments can be achieved in landscaping by utilizing on-site water resources.”

It’s no secret water will be one of the world’s most valuable resources in the not-too-distant future. Matt says properly zeroscaped lawns and gardens not only receive irrigation from nature, they deliver water where it’s needed and promote habitats for birds and butterflies.

A gardener’s first step to incorporating sustainable landscaping is to understand the site’s microclimate for efficient irrigation; whether the soil drains quickly or is moisture-retentive helps determine where plants should be placed.

Matt can help define a “palette” — the number of native species versus perennials. He acknowledges it’s a balancing act because many people have a passion for roses and rhododendrons.
Matt’s own backyard has vigorous-growing prairie grasses and native plants like purple coneflowers, Black-eyed Susan and switchgrass.

“Personally, I’m a plant lover,” he admits. “There are thousands of varieties not indigenous to our region, but in order to achieve sustainability goals, I would be irrational in growing many of them because of their chemical requirements.”

Native plants are comparable in cost to perennials and just as vulnerable to the elements. “Native varieties aren’t indestructible — their first year is critical in adjusting to their environment,” he comments. “Once a plant is in the ground, it sets roots and uses natural inclinations to survive our climate.”

Many area homeowners take advantage of nature’s irrigation by utilizing systems channeling water to a specific spot and also using water captured in rain barrels and cisterns. Matt refers to a Kansas City initiative to voluntarily reduce water runoff.

Scott Cahail, environmental manager for the Water Services Department of Kansas City, is enthusiastic about the response to the 2006 initiative and says 10,000 Rain Gardens is the perfect entrée for homeowners wanting education about Kansas City’s water challenges.

“The 10,000 Rain Gardens project provides momentum for people getting involved in the green movement on a personal level,” Scott notes. “This is just part of a larger issue of water quality and regulatory compliance, and the number of visits to our website alone indicates people want to engage in positive, grassroots action.”

John Ware, a sustainability facilitator at 360 Architects in the Crossroads Arts District, designed and installed a rain garden with native species at his Fairway home in 2007.

The Wares hired Matt to help with the initial consultation and plant design and installed the garden themselves. The garden, planted mostly with $200 worth of seeds, features tall grasses and native perennials; another section has annuals like zinnias to provide vibrant color.

John says the neighborhood embraces the rain garden as a refreshing and different kind of aesthetic. “We’re looking forward to our garden’s second season when the plants will thrive,” he says.
He also believes 10,000 Rain Gardens is a public front door to become involved in environmental stewardship. “Rain gardens are easy to implement and are low cost with many benefits,” he says.