More Can Cost Less When You Go Native

By Judith Warrington, owner of a certified River Hero Home

Here’s one more good reason to become a certified River Hero Home: saving money! After too many years of falling in love with a bright, promising annual or pinning  my hopes on a perennial that can’t take the heat and humidity of a Richmond summer, I’ve gone native.  This spring you won’t find me at the garden center wasting money on a big pot of “something” simply because its flowers are blue. This spring any plant I purchase has to be suited to the region and it has to be a native!

The River Hero Homes program is designed to reduce stormwater runoff from your home, but the benefits of river-friendly practices, like planting a BayScape with native plants, also provides food and habitat for wildlife.

 Native plants were a new concept for me. In my first year as a River Hero Home, I planted my BayScape on a somewhat experimental basis to see which native plants would work best for my backyard’s mixture of sun and shade. Admittedly, my original plant choices were pretty random. But this past warm weekend revealed some welcome surprises in the new garden.

The Rudbeckia (Black-eyed Susan) is coming back with a vengeance. That means there will be plants to share with the neighbors.  Plus, the goldfinch enjoyed the seed heads last fall, so that was an added benefit. The Chysogonum, (Green and Gold) never went away during our not-too-cold winter and is happily putting out bright new growth. (This low-growing native plant may be my favorite discovery.)The Chelone (Turtle-head rose) proved to be a charming addition to the semi-shade area and the Asclepias tuberosa, (Butterfly weed) loved the blazing sunny portion. A plant that is usually late to emerge, the Butterfly weed had more than a few colorful visitors last summer. My fingers are crossed that it will come back!

Last weekend found me at the garden center, loading a cart up with pots…all of them native plants. It felt good to know that I wasn’t gambling my money away on plants that might -- or might not -- be happy in my BayScape.  It also felt good to show my River Hero Home card at checkout and get a discount on my rather sizable purchase. This spring you should consider becoming a River Hero Home and going native. You’ll enjoy a more successful gardening experience with less work, less water and you might spend less money.

www.jamesriverhero.org

JRA Celebrates Earth Day in Richmond

by Judith Warrington, JRA's Communications Coordinator

Thank you to everyone who stopped by the JRA booth on Saturday at the Richmond Earth Day Festival at the historic 17^th Street Farmers Market sponsored by Enrichmond. Our rain barrel raffle was a big hit and a number of people took the time to tell us about how they are using rain barrels at their home.

One of the best stories came from a man who had moved his family to Richmond from New York about three years ago, an extremely hot year. His mother was thrilled to have a place to grow roses at their new home. But he was shocked by how high his water bill was. He’d never had to pay for water before. His solution was to build a rain barrel out of a big trash can. He connected it to a downspout at the back of his house, beside his other trash can and conveniently located near his mother’s beloved rose garden. The result was a big savings on his water bill, a beautiful, well-watered rose garden, and a happy mom! He has since added other barrels and wants to do even more to save on his water usage.

Many people were surprised to learn that their rain barrels and other river-friendly practices put them well on their way to being a certified River hero Home… and that all they needed to do now was to apply to receive their certification and benefits! One woman who has multiple rain barrels in use, native plants, does not fertilizer her lawn, leaves her grass clippings in place and always picks up after her dog, looked at the list of RHH partners offering discounts and said, “I was just there and spent over $100 on plants!” Next time she goes to the garden center she’ll probably have her River Hero Home discount card!

Have you applied to become a River Hero Home yet? Make every day Earth Day. Become a certified River Hero Home. Help protect the James and save money by applying today.