Gardening with Native Species

Our Contacts

• Maggie Heffernan

Landscape Designer

Studio Tide, LLC

B.S. Landscape Architecture

Associate Member, ASLA

maggierheff@gmail.com

ph. 302-927-1926

• Emma Ruggiero

Current Grad Student under Dr. Bruck 

Studying the landscape of coastal Delaware

emmarugg@udel.edu

Carney signs invasive-species bill

https://baytobaynews.com/sussex/stories/carney-signs-invasive-species-bill,43012

“Whether Delaware is their home or it’s a stop to refuel on their migration journey along the Atlantic Flyway, birds rely on a thriving natural landscape of native plant species for food and nutrients, especially insect-feeding birds like the Louisiana waterthrush and brown-headed nuthatch,” said Steve Cottrell, president of the Delaware Audubon Society. “This legislation provides a policy tool to reduce invasive species that displace native vegetation, and we hope (it) will encourage businesses and people to prioritize native plants and the removal of invasives when landscaping and gardening — to provide healthy habitats for birds across our state.” 

List of Delaware Native Plants for Wildlife and the Watershed:

Where to buy Native Plants 

Delaware Nature Society Native Plant Sale

Delaware Nature Society Native Plant Sale

The Inland Bays Garden Center near Bethany Beach in Sussex Co.

https://www.inlandbaysgardencenter.com/

302-539-1839

38320 Muddy Neck Road Frankford, DE 19945

The Garden Gate Garden Center in Hockessin, New Castle Co., DE

https://www.gatewaygardens.com/

The National Wildlife Federation's Native Plant Finder

http://nwf.org/nativeplantfinder

Delaware Invasives

• DE invasives vs natives

• DE invasive plants law signed

Boe's Weed Killer Recipes 

for Areas to be Replanted

If you have weeds in areas you want to replant, do this: Fill an ordinary garden sprayer with white vinegar and add about one teaspoon liquid dishwashing soap. Apply sprayer top and follow the instructions on the sprayer to get it ready to spray. That’s it. Seriously, it is that simple.

Pick a hot, dry day to spray weeds until saturated, and they will wilt and shrivel up within hours so be careful to not spray anything you want to live. However, do not worry about the vinegar killing anything below the soil. Because vinegar will not harm the soil, you can safely replant the area once the weeds have died.

Weed Killer for Areas Never to Grow Again

To kill all vegetation in walkways, driveways and other areas where you don’t want any living thing to grow again, mix two cups ordinary table salt with one gallon of white vinegar. Do this in a container that is larger than one-gallon capacity so you have room for the salt. Apply the lid and shake to dissolve the salt. Salt dissolves more quickly in vinegar than in water, but it takes a bit of doing. It may not completely dissolve, but that’s okay.

Add 1 teaspoon of liquid dishwashing soap (this is to break the surface tension of the mixture so it will stick to the plant material you’ll be killing). Pour into an ordinary garden sprayer. Apply to weeds or grass on a dry, sunny day to areas you don’t want to see vegetation of any kind in the future.

The presence of salt in this recipe is what will eventually bring permanence to your weed killing. The salt will penetrate and leach into the soil. It may take several applications, but in time the presence of salt will “sterilize” the soil in this area so that nothing will grow there. Plan well before you go this permanent route.

These homemade weed killer recipes are not only cheap, but both are also completely non-toxic to humans and animals. In fact, except for the soap (not toxic, but not very tasty), you could have fun with the family tonight when you tell them you made the salad vinaigrette using 3 parts olive oil to 1 part weed killer!