The Maryland Bay-Wise Program
Have you seen those Bay-Wise Certified signs popping up all over Crofton, Maryland, since Labor Day? At least thirty members of Crofton Village Garden Club have received their certification since then.
If you live in Maryland, chances are there's a storm drain within a half-mile of your home - if not a stream, river, or the Chesapeake Bay itself. That's why our landscaping practices can impact the Bay, even if we live hours away from its shores.
Better water quality through smarter gardening is what the Maryland Bay-Wise Program is all about - and it's MUCH easier than you might think to become Bay-Wise Certified. In fact, you may already follow landscape practices that satisfy the recommendations of the Master Gardeners who conduct the Bay-Wise home visits.
How do you become Bay-Wise Certification?
- Download the Maryland Bay-Wise Yardstick for a ist of the recommended landscape practices.
- Complete the Maryland yardstick to discover how many of the recommended landscape practices you already follow... and learn about other easy ones you can adopt.
- Email the Anne Arundel County Master Gardener Program to schedule a home visit. (List of all Bay-Wise counties in Maryland)
What do they look for?
When I first saw the long list of best practices for landscaping management, I was intimidated and read no further. Silly me, because I already followed many of those practices, without even trying. I didn't discover how easy it was to become certified until I downloaded that Maryland Bay-Wise Yardstick (link above).
Here are a few examples from my own yard...
Control stormwater runoff by planting ground covers on thinly vegetated ares, under trees, or on slopes to decrease erosion.
Encourage wildlife by providing and properly maintaining a water source for wildlife, such as a birdbath or small pond.
Mow properly (3-4 inches for cool weather grasses) to encourage a deeper, more drought and pest tolerant root system. A higher cut also shades out weeds.
Manage yard pests by recognizing beneficial bugs and letting them live in my yard to provide natural control of harmful pests.
Mulch appropriately by maintaining no more than a 2-3 inch layer of organic mulch over the roots of shrubs, trees, and plants.
Plant wisely by incorporating a variety of native plants into your landscape.
Follow the example of Crofton Village Garden Club members to practice environment-friendly landscaping. And don't forget to request a yard visit from Maryland Master Gardeners to become Bay-Wise Certified.
P.S. As a real estate agent, I can't help thinking that a Bay-Wise Certified sign in the yard of a listing might attract interest from some prospective buyers. It certainly can't hurt.
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