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<br />Attachment D <br /> <br />Reducing Water Use with <br />landscaping and Better Lawn Care <br />Prairie Plants and Native Grasses <br /> <br />Alternative <br /> <br />One of the ways to reduce water consumption is having turf that requires less water than a conventional <br />bluegrass lawn. Native plants provide a solution to the water-needy conventional turf grass. Re- <br />establishing native groundcover offers many benefits, such as no fertilizer or herbicide needed, in addition <br />to no mowing and little to no watering. <br /> <br />A prairie yard may well work for you if you have: at least a quarter acre of land in full sunlight for all or <br />most of t~e day, high sand soil content with good drainage, and no trees on or near the area designated <br />for prairie plants. <br /> <br />Planting a prairie yard is much different than a conventional yard. You will need to kill all existing <br />vegetation, which may take several applications of an herbicide and is best done in the fall. A final <br />application in the following spring will usually produce the desired result. Late spring and early summer <br />planting of already-started plants and grasses will give you the best results, with watering and hand <br />weeding being part of the new plant care. Consulting with a native plant expert will add to your success. <br /> <br />Once established, the prairie will not require artificial watering, but may require some hand weeding. Ideal <br />results are achieved if the prairie area is burned at least every other year, or every year if possible. Within <br />the city of Ramsey, there are many examples of healthy prairie plantings on both public and private land. <br />What about those properties that may not be ideal for a prairie installation? You may want to consider a <br />meadow planting that includes shade tolerant plants with lower watering requirements. Consult with a <br />reputable supplier of native plants to receive the best advice on how to proceed. More information on <br />prairie and meadow-type yards is available including the following resources: <br /> <br />. "Native Plants: Restoring Habitat in Anoka County", from the Anoka Conservation District. <br />http://www.anokanaturalresources.com/acd/tech assist/brochures/Native plants. pdf <br /> <br />. "Developing a Residential Prairie", from the 'University of Minnesota Extension Service, Sustainable <br />Urban Landscape Information Series (SULlS). <br />http://www.sustland.umn.edu/implementldevelopinqprairie.htm <br /> <br />. "Yard and Garden Brief: (Ultra) Low Maintenance Lawns", from the University of Minnesota Extension <br />Service, Department of Horticulture. <br />http://www.extension.umn.edu/proiects/yardandqarden/yqbriefs/h325Iawn-lowmaint.html <br /> <br />. Prairie Restorations website: www.prairieresto.com <br /> <br />. Landscape Alternatives website: www.landscapealternatives.com <br /> <br />Still looking for that "turf grass look" but want reduced watering? See "Renovating an Existing Lawn to <br />Achieve Sustainability" from the University of Minnesota Extension Service, SULlS. <br />http://www.sustland.umn.edu/maintlexistinq.htm <br /> <br />Water is becoming increasingly scarce and a new form of landscaping has been fostered called <br />xeriscaping, or dry landscaping. This technique uses a combination of drought tolerant grasses, flowers, <br />shrubs and trees. For smaller areas of ground, and those with changing elevations over short distances, <br />