The Secrets of How This DC Suburb Does Sustainable Gardening

by Holly Bertone | Pink Fortitude

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Just 10 miles away from our Nation’s Capital, this Alexandria, Virginia suburb boasts several homes which are committed to conservation and sustainable gardening. More than adding a rain barrel, you will be amazed at the beautiful and creative features we found in these backyards. What ideas do you have to create for your own garden?

the secrets of how this dc suburb does sustainable gardening

This sleepy little neighborhood borders Mt. Vernon and the Potomac River. You would have no clue it’s minutes away from Washington, DC.

These three homes were featured in a sustainable garden tour sponsored by the Northern Virginia Soil and Water Conservation District and the Audubon Society of Northern Virginia. I had no idea how many resources these two organizations have! No matter where you live, I hope this gives you some inspiration to check out the local resources in your area to help you create a more sustainable garden in your home!

We went on a hot Sunday afternoon, It was over 90 degrees outside, and I went along with my Mother-in-Law, and one of my friends and even though we all melted, it was an extremely educational and informative tour. I walked away with so many ideas… I can’t wait to begin to do some more work on our homestead.

Want to see the entire tour and all of the pictures and conservation and sustainability projects? Click on the link below and head over to the blog post. I would love for you to stop by and say hello and let me know what you think!

One of the biggest challenges any homeowner faces is water preservation and run-off. While stones, rain chains and rain barrels aren’t unique, they are easily replicated. Once feature we implemented in our own home this year was to add more stones to where the water from our garden runs off down the driveway and into the street.

There is nothing sexy about composting. It’s daunting to get started, it’s stinky, a little time intensive, and draws bugs. BUT… it works. We started mini-composting this year – coffee grounds and egg shells. In just a few months time, I am amazed at the difference in the dirt and the crops in our garden. While we haven’t finalized our plans, I think we are going to take our composting to the next level.

This family built this mud wall with a rooftop garden as a home for the pollinating bees. My MIL stayed far away, but I got up real close to take some pictures. The bees didn’t even know I was there. They were too busy doing their thing.

When we walked into this yard, we were like… what the heck is going on here?!?!? I’ll read the sign to you in case it’s not clear on the picture. While it may seem a little extreme, I love how this family is committed to preserving the environment.

“Plastic Bag Farm. The neighbor’s bags of leaves and grass clippings are collected and used to cover and compost noxious garden weeds. Bags are then turned inside out and hung up so that wind and rain will clean them for use.”

And of course, saving the best for last – the water features! I could have sat by this first water feature all day. They had the multiple levels of running water, lily pads, and lots of frogs. I saw two frogs total when I was there, but when I went to edit the pictures, I ended up spotting four!

Want to see the entire tour and all of the pictures? Click on the link below and head over to the blog post to read the article. I would love for you to stop by and say hello and let me know what you think!