Proper Lawn and Garden Maintenance

Did you know that what you do on your property can help to keep our streams clean? Rain water can run off of your yard and to the nearest stormdrain, or ditch, to a stream. The runoff can carry pollutants from your yard into our community's water. Here are a few tips to keep our streams clean and your yard beautiful!

• Limit your use of pesticides.
• Get a soil test before using lawn and garden fertilizers to determine if and what you may need.
• Always follow the directions on lawn chemicals, including organic products.
• Keep your soil in your yard. Cover soil piles with a tarp if rain is predicted. Prevent erosion by planting ground covers. Soil in streams can clog the gills of aquatic animals.
• Take care when filling gasoline powered lawn equipment to avoid spills.

Homeowners Guide to Lawn and Garden Maintenance

Path To Certification | Tennessee Smart Yards

Plant a Rain Garden

Rain Gardens are a natural and beautiful way to reduce and clean stormwater. They are shallow, depressed gardens designed to collect rain water and allow it time to filter into the ground. This results in cleaner water, less water entering our storm systems and more water refilling the underground water table that keeps small streams flowing during the dry summer months. Rain Gardens are lovely, lively, colorful, low maintenance habitats for insects and animals. Their native plants provide food to songbirds and butterflies.

Rain Gardens | Tennessee Smart Yards