Would
you like to save time and money in your yard, while improving water
quality and habitat for wildlife? Then plant a BayScape!
What is a BayScape?
Simply, a BayScape is a beautiful landscape, planted and maintained to benefit people, the local environment, and the Chesapeake Bay.
A BayScaped landscape is great for the environment. It uses native plants to:
- provide habitat for local and migratory animals
- improve water quality
- reduce the need for chemical pesticides and herbicides
BayScaping is also valuable for the gardener or landowner because it:
- offers greater visual interest than lawn
- reduces the time and expense of mowing, watering, fertilizing and treating lawn and garden areas
- can address areas with problems such as erosion, poor soils, steep slopes or poor drainage
Installing BayScapes on properties in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed helps improve local streams and waterways, the Bay's waters and the habitat the area provides. However, you don't have to live in the Chesapeake Bay watershed to practice this type of landscaping. The principles of BayScaping have been applied to many other regions, and are referred to by a variety of terms including "xeriscaping," "beneficial landscaping," and "conservation landscaping."