4 Tips to Creating An Eco-friendly Backyard
By Margaret Gilmour
Ever stand looking at your backyard and wonder how you can make it more sustainable? Maybe improve the health of your green carpet?
Some days maybe you think you’ve figured it out: Plant natives. Recycle rainwater. Toss out that toxic spray. All good choices.
But there are more choices too. Margot Taylor, founder and owner of Dogwood Native Gardens in Kennett Square, says while giving your landscape a major boost may require an expert’s hand, there are four steps you can take to convert your outdoor space to a more eco-friendly play area/retreat/garden. Her tips are about building your soil quality.
Margot specializes in evaluating the functions and viability of a garden, and designing them to be artistic, ecologically sound environments.
She says you need to begin by building your soil and points to research completed by a previous U.S. Secretary of Agriculture who studied all known past civilizations looking for a common cause for the society’s decline.
Their finding: mismanaged agricultural land, which led to the end of soil fertility and ability to feed their people. Thus, the civilization suffered great loss. There are no exceptions: China, Rome, Greece, Africa, Ireland, all faced the same fate.
What to do to avoid loss of soil fertility? Build it. Better its quality. Maintain its health.
Here’s Margot’s 4 tips on how to build your soil:
1) Get Your Soil Tested:
Know the chemistry of your soil. It is important to understand what your soil is, what is in it, what is not.
Besides the normal tests, pH, acidity, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium, I also get the results for organic matter, soluble salts, nitrate, and total carbon. I’m also interested in knowing about the abundance/presence of soil organisms as they are the real workers in the soil.
In addition, I consider the carbon readings to see if the soil is absorbing carbon. Lots of organisms grow with aid of the carbon and absorbing carbon helps the planet, as we know. This is why bio-char is important to add to the soil.
Soil samples: Purchase soil test kit from the Pennsylvania State University, agricultural extension office in your county. (Chester has an extension office at the Government Services Building in West Chester.)
2) Apply a Compost Tea
This nutrient run-off from your compost pile is the best soil amendment on the planet because it filled with the living micro-organisms that breathe life into your soil and boost nutrient levels.
Add liquid concentrate to spray/dilute with water. Compost tea is the run-off substance from a compost pile. For a quick how to make and apply compost tea click here.
3) Protect with Leaf mold
Leaves are the product of tree mining and food production and more nutritious than wood. Shred your leaves directly in your beds or store covered until spring.
4) Supplement with cover crops
Use plants such as legumes to build back soil fertility.
Plant cover crop on an area you wish to build soil fertility: open spaces, fields, at the end of the season in your vegetable garden. Anywhere. Legumes as a family are nitrogen-fixing plants. Examples are: clover, alfalfa, field peas.
Of course, managing water so soil does not erode is vital.
Resources:
Margot Taylor
Dogwood Native Gardens
(484) 947-9442 Mobile/Office
Kennett Square, PA
All-Natural Ice Pool
By Margaret Gilmour
Five months after visiting Nancy Adler’s all-natural swimming pool, I called Nancy to see if I could go back and walk around the icy water and witness its frigid presence.
I wondered: would it be frozen solid?
Nancy welcomed us once again, always eager to share her love for the chemical-free oasis. Even if she wasn’t home, she said, please stop by.
Leslie and I chose a bitter-cold morning in early January to visit. Turns out, Nancy wasn’t in, so the two of us shivered in the biting wind and made our way up the hillside to the pool.
There, thin streams spilled from water-spouts not totally iced-over. Even with the gusting wind, though, the sound of the cascades drenched the landscape. The only other noise came from the neighing horse trotting in our direction, perhaps to check us out. Or maybe just to add to the symphony.
We both stood a moment taking in the tranquil winter scene, then set about shooting pictures before our hands begged for the warmth of our mittens again.
The pool wasn’t frozen over. Glacial patches floated in the moving waters of the blue-green lagoon, while thick blocks of ice swelled from the surrounding stonewalls. Nancy chose to leave the regeneration zones flowing this winter, so there will be no ice-skating this year.
When it’s this cold, Nancy says, she doesn’t stay out by the water for long. I can see why, as we stand in the chill, unprotected from the wind.
In the fall, however, the Adler’s stay warm close to the flames of their portable fire pit, and enjoy the scenic bliss from the stone patio. Plans are to build an in-ground pit next season. (more…)
The Restoration of a 19th-Century Barn
By Margaret Gilmour
By taking their time and creating a ten-year renovation plan, these homeowners overhauled a 1860s barn they now call home. Details include a geothermal system, radiant flooring and making use of architectural details they happened upon during rehab, or collected over the years.
If you’ve dreamed of living in a barn-turned-house, here’s a little inspiration from Kennett Square residents Traci and Bruce Jameson.
The couple says it was the description of the property that lured them to the old barn back in 1998. They had no idea the outbuilding was the part of the original Bayard Taylor estate.
The paper read: “For Sale: Barn home with stable yard and a secret garden.”
The Jameson’s had been searching over two years for an old house to restore, and as soon as they pulled into the driveway, they knew they’d found their project. They discovered the secret garden around back in the paddock. It had potential.
“We knew we could move in and live in it while we did the work,” Bruce Jameson says. “I calculated it would take about ten years to complete.”
It turns out, he was dead on.
It’s hard to believe that when the two moved in with their young children a decade ago that the previous owners had transformed the three-level, 1860s barn to a ‘60s contemporary. Details included wall-to-wall carpeting throughout, grid-less aluminum frame windows and one skinny metal front door painted turquoise. It was hardly a dream house then, but the two knew it could be in time.
With the goal of reverting the structure back to a barn, the Jameson’s started their rehab by hiring Pennland Contractors.
Bruce took on role of General Manager. Traci, with her background in graphic arts and design, became interior designer. Though this was their first remodel together, both grew up in old houses with families that took to restoring and repairing without question.
So they were well prepared, and they knew to proceed at brake speed.
“We weren’t independently wealthy. We needed to plan and save,” Bruce says. “We planned every detail out from the second we bought the house.” (more…)
Just Out: Chester County Buy Fresh, Buy Local Food Guide
By Margaret Gilmour
FACT (Taken from the guide)
Did You Know?
If You Spend $10 a Week on Local Foods You Can Build Your Local Economy
If each household in Chester County spent $10 per week on local food and farm-based Chester County products, it would mean over $91 million dollars a year would be generated and available for local reinvestment in businesses and communities.
Ironically, just as I was searching for local farm stands near my home, I came across the new Buy Fresh, Buy Local Chester County food guide, just published and ready to help all of us find local food close by.
There, on page five, over 28 farm stands are listed, along with six farm stores, which are shops (usually in barns, or barn-like structures) where the goods are usually produced on the farm where they’re sold.
Of course Chester County farmers’ markets are listed too, along with area CSAs.
There is even a list of retail outlets that sell locally made items, and a few spotlights on regional farmers, growers and farm-to-table restaurants.
The local food guide points to many reasons we should buy local, seasonal fare that is not only healthier for us, but is also environmentally responsible, reducing the energy required for transporting food from its origin to where it is consumed. And, as we know, buying from Chester County businesses, or those nearby, strengthens our local economy.
Replacing an older 2002 version, the “feed-ability” guide is a collaboration of partnerships with FoodRoutes Network, which is the national, nonprofit organization that launched Buy Fresh Buy Local (BFBL), and other BFBL chapters including Chester County BFBL. Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture (PASA) coordinates the ten Pennsylvania chapters.
I picked my copy up at the BVA, and there are plenty more available at libraries, county parks and the Government Services Center in West Goshen. Or, download this printable PDF:
Local Breweries Crafting Eco-Friendly Pints
By Margaret Gilmour
Cold beer and summertime. Frothy heads, Belgian Lace lingering down the side of your frosted mug. Nothing better.
Here in Chester County, we have some of the best small breweries in the world—no exaggeration.
In fact, a few years ago while visiting family in Vienna, I found a pub––1516 Brewing Company– with Victory Hop Devil on their beer list. No kidding. Right there in beer country. And I ordered my Hop Devil with pride before sipping the brewpub’s local favorite. Delicious.
Though beer making can burden the environment (with hops and barley often requiring doses of chemicals for successful growth), there are microbreweries altering their beer-making process with Mother Earth in mind.
Buckley’s Has a Green Roof (Your Pergola Could Too)
By Margaret Gilmour
When you head upstairs to Buckley’s rooftop deck, you’ll want to stop a moment to look around the now-flourishing space before taking a seat.
At least that’s what everyone was doing last weekend when the tavern unveiled its new rooftop garden.
Gone is the 25 (or more) year-old countertop hooded with a striped awning.
In its place is a custom-made wood bar shaded by a cypress pergola, an architectural showpiece topped with a green roof sprouting a variety of fleshy-leaved sedum. (more…)
Redbud Native Plant Nursery: Plantings for our region
By Margaret Gilmour
I’ve always been attracted to native plants, especially the more delicate, shade-loving varieties like geraniums (Geranium maculatum), Virginia bluebells (Mertensia virginica) and wood ferns (Dryopteris clintoniana).
So has Catherine Smith, Owner of Redbud Native Plant Nursery in Glen Mills.
But, I am drawn to natives because, among other things, they promote simple, garden environments that demand less attention than non-natives.
Smith, on the other hand, loves how natives foster bio-diversity. “I love to see the critters they attract, and the increase in birds and butterflies that appear in native plant environments,” she says. (more…)
Mt. Cuba Center, Inc.: Nurturing Native Plants
By Margaret Gilmour
When Mr. and Mrs. Lammot du Pont Copeland decided to build their home on 113-acres near the village of Mt. Cuba, Delaware in 1935, they had a love for the outdoors, and a budding interest in gardening.
So, shortly after purchasing the lush, open fields, the couple commissioned Homsey Architects to design their stately Colonial Revival manor house that reflected the Copeland’s passion for historic Americana.
They also hired famed Philadelphia landscape architect Thomas Sears to create formal outdoor rooms that took guests and family members into well-scripted patios, terraces and courtyards, all framed with carefully planned plantings.
Then, what began as a love for formal gardens, evolved into a love of nature and a fascination with native plants in a woodland, naturalistic setting. Today the Copeland residence is home to Mt. Cuba Center, Inc., a 650-acre non-profit horticultural institution.
(more…)
Helena van Vliet: Architect For Your Senses
By Margaret Gilmour
Green architecture is a design philosophy that minimizes harmful effects on human health and the environment by using eco-friendly building materials and construction practices.
I talked with architect and land planner Helena van Vliet, whose work incorporates green building philosophies that embrace wellness. Her designs are built to nurture your body and soul, just as any retreat should, logically, yet, so many homes are designed with only style and function in mind.
Van Vliet, by contrast, plays up calming elements found in nature’s habitat, like the soothing sounds of water droplets or earthy materials meant to impress your senses.
Q: I understand that you offer your clients a variety of services including green architecture, interior design and healing. Can you explain how green architecture promotes healing?
There’s much more to creating a healing environment than just using non-toxic finishes, that’s a given.
To create a lasting healing environment, the building should begin to help establish or reestablish greater sensory awareness. (more…)
2009 Well-Tech Award Winners
By Margaret Gilmour
Over in Italy in 1999, a team of concerned individuals formed Well-Tech, an organization involved in the design and research of new, sustainable technologies accessible to any interested person.
That would include you and me.
Which is great, since many cutting-edge designs can be big-ticket items only a few individuals can afford. Some of these inventions, though, could easily find their way to my home. 
(more…)
Plant a Rain Garden
By Margaret Gilmour
What exactly is a rain garden?
It’s a shallow garden with a natural or dug depression, or sometimes it’s plantings installed at the bottom of the downslide of a slope. The rain garden is designed to capture rainwater and, in turn, help reduce storm water runoff and erosion.
These gardens allow about 30% more water to soak into the earth compared to conventional lawns. And because they are created to drain within 12-48 hours, there’s no threat of turning them into mosquito habitats. (more…)
8 Water-Saving Tips for your Landscape
By Margaret Gilmour
The best thing one can do when it’s raining is to let it rain.
HENRY WADSWORTH LONGFELLOW
We love the idea of celebrating Earth Day each year to promote global awareness, even if it’s just for one day. The hope is that this day will inspire and remind each of us to make little changes that benefit our planet. (more…)
Rain Barrel Special
By Margaret Gilmour
Last year the Chester County Conservation District received a grant to purchase 350 rain barrels.
They sold most of them at a reduced price to community members who attended a public education event on rain barrels and native plants.
The idea of selling rain barrels, of course, was to raise awareness for basic conservation techniques homeowners could practice in their own backyards. (more…)
An Enchanted Home
By Margaret Gilmour
We were under the spell of architect Helena van Vliet’s charming house and simple lifestyle integrating village life with contemporary technology. The home’s curving architectural details add shape and texture to the open interior spaces colored in calm, earthy hues.
Books that Inspire Simple Living
We’ve handpicked a few books filled with inspiring and entertaining stories, helpful resources and stunning images. Between the two of us, we either have a copy of the text on our bookshelf, or we have read it in the past.
Some of the books are mentioned in REVIEW, where we discuss good reading or products we’d recommend. So, be sure and check out the section to see if the book you’re considering is featured. It might help you decide which one’s for you. Personally, we love them all.
You can purchase any from the list at your local bookstore, or right here on our site through IndieBound, a community-oriented movement begun by the independent bookseller members of the American Booksellers Association. Click here Learn more about IndieBound.
Also check out 12 of Our Favorite Eat In-Season Cookbooks: A great cookbook should ignite conversations, as well as spark appetites. All of these compilations do both and much more.
Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone
Well Preserved: Recipes and Techniques for Putting Up Small Batches of Seasonal Foods
Earth to Table: Seasonal Recipes from an Organic Farm
What Can I Do With My Herbs? How to Grow, Use and Enjoy These Versatile Plants
Farm City: The Education of an Urban Farmer
Major Pettigrew�s Last Stand
Earth in the Hot Seat:Â Bulletins from a Warming World
The Apple Trees at Omela: New and Selected Poems
Where I Live: New and Selected Poems
Shipwrecks of the Delaware Coast: Tales of Pirates, Squalls and Treasure
100 Artists of the Brandywine Valley
52 Loaves: One Man’s Relentless Pursuit of Truth, Meaning, and a Perfect Crust
Greening Your Family: A Reference Guide to Safe Food, Personal Care, and Cleaning Products
Grow Your Own Drugs: Easy Recipes for Natural Remedies and Beauty Fixes
Slow Death by Rubber Duck: The Secret Danger of Everyday Things
Trattoria: The Best of Casual Italian Cooking
Honeybee: Lessons from an Accidental Beekeeper
El Farol Tapas and Spanish Quisine
A Taste of Heaven: A Guide to Food and Drink Made by Monks and Nuns
Lucid Food: Cooking for an Eco-Conscious Life
Plenty: Eating Locally on the 100-Mile Diet
Flowers and Herbs of Early America
Essential Eating Sprouted Baking: With Whole Grain Flours That Digest as Vegetables
GoatSong: A Seasonal Life, A Short History of Herding, and the Art of Making Cheese
Lili Wright, Green Interior Designer, Making Smart Choices
By Margaret Gilmour
Remember when your parents used to say:
“Doing the right thing isn’t easy, but in the long run, doing the right thing is always best.”
Can’t you hear them?
“Awww, come on…,” you’d plead. But your parents always won that argument.
And now, as an adult, you’re faced with this concept everyday.
LiLi Wright, a Philadelphia-based, green interior designer, helps her clients make smart choices every day.
“When you’re going to spend your money,” she says, “find the greenest thing you can afford, or that’s available to you.”
In other words, do your homework before you make a purchase.
But, when you simply must make a quick purchase, and the locally-operated, small business doesn’t have what you need, where do you turn?
Or if you are intent on buying eco-friendly products, but what you want isn’t available in a “green” line, what do you choose instead?
Wright’s advice:
1. “Stay away from trends. Longevity equals sustainability.”
2. “Stay away from throw-aways. Use biodegradables or recyclables.”
3. “Think before you spend. Using your head is your best weapon.”
Using this philosophy, how does Wright choose green fabrics in an industry where, just a year ago, she remembers asking for green fabric at a store and was promptly directed to the green colored bolts?
“Thankfully,” she says, “this doesn’t happen anymore. But you still have to make choices.”
When Wright introduces eco-friendly material to her clients, she begins by offering them natural textiles like organic cotton or bamboo.
If the color or texture doesn’t suit their needs, Wright moves on to fabrics that may not be completely green, yet are indeed environmentally-friendly.
This would include cloth milled by manufacturers practicing green-industry standards, or by companies that at least offer a line of green fabrics, which is a step in the right direction.
“And really, there are sustainable fabrics everywhere,” Wright says. “You just need to ask the question.”
So, in a pinch, what “big box” store will Wright pop into without “huge guilt,” as she puts it?
Target.
Why?
Because Wright says they showcase good design at affordable prices.
And they also pay attention to what the consumer wants by responding to requests for greener products. Their shelves are full of them.
In addition, Target (as well as Home Depot and Office Depot) follows good corporate policies demanding more sustainable products (like eliminating the use of PVC (polyvinyl chloride) and other toxic substances in packaging and product lines).
Target also actively works with environmental groups, and is building more energy-efficient facilities.
The good news is that other large chain, or “big box” stores are following suit.
It’s a tall order, buying everything that’s squeaky green. But looking for alternatives is certainly doable.
And when you do, you feel as good as a yard of organic, cotton swathe. Can’t argue with that.
The Simple Home: The Luxury of Enough
By Margaret Gilmour
Just after we decided to make Chester County Dwell a reality, Leslie discovered this beautiful book. And its pictures and philosophy inspired us both as they seemed to echo ccdwell’s mission statement that we’d just about finished writing.
Inside its pages 21 houses are featured with six different approaches to creating a path to a simple home:
1. Simple is Enough
2. Simple is Thrifty
3. Simple is Flexible
4. Simple is Timeless
5. Simple is Sustainable
6. Simple is Refined
The concept is illustrated through full-color spreads of gorgeous photographs and through the lives and choices made by homeowners living in places ranging from small apartments to larger country homes. The author explains that simple doesn’t have to do with size, or style, rather it’s an attitude you take on and choose to embrace.
Even if you only look at the pictures, you’ll soon find yourself with an urge to de-clutter and scale back a bit. All the images are clean, spare and filled with ideas you can try right away, or use when planning future renovations. And the section on sustainable living is a great guide to living a greener, more responsible life.
The Simple Home will definitely inspire you toward a simpler 2009.
Buy it here: Good Reads
Getting Back to Basics
By Margaret Gilmour
We loved this home because innovative design decisions took the house’s original character and intimate scale into consideration. Walk into the addition, and it feels as if it’s part of the older structure. Yet, the well-conceived space is constructed with lasting materials and incorporates sophisticated energy-conservation strategies, as well as the basics: topography, sunlight and window placement.
