Native Plantings - Invasive Removal    

The Benefits of Native Plants
Native plants are adapted to our dry summers and wet winters here in the Pacific Northwest.  They are 10-15 times more effective at attracting wildlife than introduced species, particularly for the beneficial birds, bees, and butterflies we can expect in our city environment.  A well-designed native landscape can be more than beautiful; it can help insulate your home from harsh weather, reduce noise, filter the air, and reduce watering and maintenance.

Save Puget Sound - Shrink your Lawn
The marine mammals of Puget Sound are some of the most contaminated in the world.  Bird populations are collapsing, salmon are at eight percent of historic levels, and dead zones in Hood Canal are spreading.  Puget Sound is in decline.

What can we do?  Revegetate our land, for starters.  Tree and shrub cover reduces stormwater runoff that carries sewage and pollutants from roads and lawns into the Sound.  A mature cedar can absorb 250 gallons of rain a day, while grass doesn't do much better than pavement.

Granted, a lawn used to be a sign of wealth – only the poor had to grow a garden.  Now, it’s clear the time spent mowing, watering, edging, raking, weeding, fertilizing, aerating, de-mossing and de-thatching our lawns ( I call it "lawn serfing") is impoverishing our quality of life and our environment.  Lawns affect air quality as well, since "operating a typical (4 HP) gasoline-powered lawnmower for one hour produces as much smog-forming hydrocarbons as driving an average car almost 200 miles" - not to mention the noise and the risks of operating a lawnmower.  Many people are discovering that replacing all or part of their lawn with a “naturescape” can turn a chore into a time-saving joy.

Got Ivy?
Aggressive invasive species, like English ivy and Himalayan blackberry, are threatening the health of our urban forests by strangling Bigleaf Maples and smothering the natural regeneration of native conifers (Douglas fir, Western Red Cedar, and Western Hemlock) that once blanketed our region.   If we do nothing, it is projected Seattle will lose 50% of its urban forests in 20 years, and 100% in 50 years.  More important than aesthetics, blackberry and ivy infestations reduce plant diversity and provide prime rat habitat (food and shelter), therefore making disease and insect outbreaks more likely (http://www.fao.org/docrep/009/a0789e/a0789e03.htm).  The longer we delay, the more expensive control efforts will be in the future.  Other problem plants include Butterfly Bush, Scot’s Broom, Japanese Knotweed, Poison Hemlock, Yellow Archangel, Bindweed (morning glory), Wild Clematis, Herb Robert, Bittersweet Nightshade, Black Locust, Wood Daphne, English Holly, English Laurel, European mountain-ash and hawthorn.  If you’ve cut back blackberries, only to see them return come springtime, I can grub them out organically at key times in the season, or use effective herbicide applications.  I am a Commercial Pesticide Applicator licensed (WSDA # 74158) in Aquatic and Ornamental Weed categories, and I take efforts to minimize drift with cut and paint, frilling, or stem injection methods.  I use the safest products available for humans, pets, fish and wildlife, and it must be said that glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup, is four times safer than aspirin, safer than many pollutants we tolerate daily, far safer than neglecting the spread of invasive species.

Erosion/Slide Prevention
Many of the spectacular views in West Seattle come with risks if you live on a coastal bluff in a slide-prone area. The clearing of trees and native vegetation, dumping of yard waste, improper drainage, or neglect of invasives (particularly English ivy) can all contribute to slope instability.  The main component of slides are back-to-back rain events that first lubricate different layers of geology and then weight the slope. First consult a qualified geologist and/or geotechnical engineer to address slide concerns. I cannot make guarantees, but a geotech will often recommend the preventive measure of maintaining or restoring the diverse layers of native groundcovers, shrubs, and trees that provide a web of roots to bind soil and at the same time absorb rainfall. 

The field of native plant restoration is new, but I have been described as "the most experienced restoration (practitioner) who actually does the work."  I can remove invasives, suggest and plant appropriate native plants (careful placement of trees and shrubs can frame and enhance views), retain existing beneficial plants, and apply mulch and erosion-prevention fabrics using a rope & harness if necessary.  I can also help with City ECA (Environmentally Critical Area) permits.  Be warned the restoration of a fully invaded slope can take years (typically five years) of maintenance until native roots are established, but this can be a cost-effective approach, increasingly effective with time, and a fraction of the risks/costs of neglecting slope vegetation.  Again, consult a qualified geologist and/or geotech to address immediate slide concerns. For an excellent overview of slope stability issues, see the WA Dept. of Ecology's website: http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/sea/pubs/93-31/chap1.html. Or, google "ivy slope stability erosion" for a variety of resources.

Gardening for Food Security
Much of what we eat is grown on soils depleted of minerals necessary for good health, and many nutrients can be lost during transport.  We can build raised beds for growing garden-fresh produce and after a soil test, we can amend soils with “minerally-augmented organics" to improve nutrition.

Garden Cycles Philosophy
I keep things simple – planting densely to reduce invasives, provide habitat, and minimize maintenance.  I like themed beds and gently curving paths.  I also appreciate plants that are not native - as long as they are not invasive.

I try to be consistent with my environmental values: I use mainly hand tools (occasionally a brushcutter), renting a vehicle when necessary; if I mow, it's with a push mower; I only install surface drip irrigation (even native plants benefit from watering during their first two summers); I use organic methods whenever practical; I mostly work close to home in West Seattle (I charge for transportation to outlying areas); and my apparent compromise of using selected herbicides (glyphosate) is based on research of their risks (http://extoxnet.orst.edu/faqs/index.htm or, http://npic.orst.edu/) and experience knowing the damage done returning multiple times, multiple years to manually control blackberry or holly is greater than using glyphosate correctly.

Why the Bicycle Trailer?
It doesn’t make sense to work to improve our environment, and then unnecessarily burn gasoline in the process.  Not everyone can do without a motor vehicle, but those looking to reduce their “ecological footprint,” can buy and hire locally. 

I don't need a truck to carry bareroot plants and a shovel, and woodchips can be delivered.  I also don't haul organic matter off site (unless it’s diseased or a noxious weed) - it’s too valuable for building soil health and woody debris/leaf litter helps attract many bird species.  I encourage you to compost, or I can get you started with a worm bin for recycling kitchen waste.

Tour de Fronds
Garden Cycles is now offering eco-tours in Seattle.  Come see wildlife (with luck!) and bird species in our city parks, learn about native plants for your landscape, and consider the challenges of restoring the remnants of coastal forests that once blanketed the Puget Sound region.  April 26th, at 1 pm,  we'll start in Fauntleroy Park with a complimentary tour.  Walk the trails of this 28-acre park and enjoy the work of neighborhood volunteers, Earth Corps, and of schoolchildren rearing salmon fingerlings in an effort to bring coho to Fauntleroy Creek.  Fauntleroy Park is considered by ecologists to be one of Seattle's most pristine natural areas.  Afterward, let's stop at a nearby bakery and talk about our ecological challenges.  For more information, contact gardencycles@hotmail.com.

About the Proprietor
I discovered my love of nature fifteen years ago while studying in Moscow, Russia, during a long winter (spring didn’t arrive ‘til May!).  Upon return, I started working for nurseries (including a bamboo nursery), landscapers, and restoration ecologists.  In 2003, I joined the Washington Native Plant Society and completed their Native Plant Stewardship Training.  I enjoy sharing what I've learned and I’m proud of my volunteer work restoring parts of Longfellow Creek and my professional work in natural areas throughout West Seattle.

I am a licensed, insured, and bonded specialty contractor (GARDEC*932JF).  I'm not a landscape designer, however, one design pictured below illustrates my design sense. 

What I do
Plant native trees, shrubs, and groundcovers
Remove/control invasive plants
Brushcut, grub, or apply cost-effective herbicide
Suggest native plants for wildlife, drought tolerance, and erosion control
Spread wood chips
Sheet mulch and hand weed
Make raised beds
Prune fruit trees, shrubs (up to 12 ft.)
Install surface drip irrigation
Work on steep slopes; install erosion prevention fabrics
Work with the homeowner

What I've done
Working closely with homeowner Alex and son, Gabriel, we built a rockery, garden beds and waterfall reminiscent of a hike in the Cascades.  While I spend the majority of my time working on the health of our urban forests, it's satisfying to create a landscape that contributes to quality of life and the value of a property.

Rates
$50 per hour plus expenses; mileage & travel time outside of West Seattle.
For native plant restoration only (not ornamental landscaping), ask to be on our reduced-rate waiting list for slow times.

References are available on request – referrals are appreciated! Thank you for your interest and efforts in native plant restoration.

Steve Richmond
Seattle, Washington
(206) 650-9807; fax (206) 763-0144
gardencycles@hotmail.com