Existing comment:
Plants
President Clinton recommended that federal agencies, in their role as guardians of the environment, take "a series of environmental actions, including one to increase environmentally and economically beneficial landscaping practices at Federal facilities and federally funded projects. Environmentally beneficial landscaping entails utilizing techniques that complement and enhance the local environment and seek to minimize the adverse effects that the landscaping will have on it."
Earth Day Park was designed to use these environmentally friendly and economically beneficial landscaping practices. The finished creation is a park of informal charm that fits within the established neighborhood. This beautiful park requires far less maintenance that that of a traditionally developed park.
By using dwarf ornamental grass instead of lawn and perennials instead of annuals, the design has reduced the need for gasoline powered mowers, edgers, and trimmers along with fertilizers and pesticides. The use of mulch, the selection of drought tolerant species, as well as the raised beds, allows for the moisture to be retained by the soil. Regionally native plant material, adapted to local climatic and biological conditions, provide a truly unique ecosystem and increase the rate of success of the plants. Most of the plants in this park are native to the Mid-Atlantic region of North America. |