Lois de Vries' Garden Views

Why is the EcoRegions app important? Most homeowners who’ve dabbled in gardening have heard of the USDA Plant Hardiness Zones, which tell us the average minimum temperature range for where we live. There are a total of 26 zones and sub-zones; 12 of them generally appear on plant labels to help us determine whether a plant we want to buy can survive the winter in our zone. But plant hardiness is only one of multiple factors that determine whether a plant will thrive in any particular garden. Others include soil type, climate, terrain, natural vegetation, and how rivers, streams, and similar water features flow through the landscape. The Environmental Protection Agency has codified this information, gathered from several different Federal agencies, into nearly 200 categories called Ecoregions.   What Is the Sustainable Gardening Library EcoRegions app? The EcoRegions app is a an online tool that combines the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map with the EPA North American Ecoregions Ma...

At the Sustainable Gardening Institute, we’re confident that most homeowners would prefer to have an eco-friendly garden landscape based on solid science, if they knew what to do. But even as they yearn for healthy, chemical-free surroundings, questions arise. Questions such as, “Where do I start?” From where you are right now. Right where you’re standing. At ground level. Learning the basics of your specific ecoregion and plant hardiness zone now will save you time, effort, and heartbreak later because that is the foundation for selecting plants that are easier to grow and more likely to succeed. It doesn’t matter whether you’re planning a garden for your own backyard or a landscape project for huge business campus, the basics are the same. In this post, we’ll define what an ecoregion is, then explain why ecoregions are important in sustainable gardening, how they can be useful to both home gardeners and professionals alike, and get you started using ecoregion...