All right, you’ve got yourself a nice green space. That green roof, pollinator paradise, or rain garden is looking pretty darn good.
So … are you done?
In a word, no. Urban green spaces tend to be lower maintenance than, say, botanical gardens or fussy rose beds. But that’s not the same as being no maintenance. Many folks miss this point when installing rooftop gardens or bioswales, not realizing that in order for it to provide important stormwater management or beautification services, you need a stewardship plan in place.
This requires understanding what maintenance and stewardship are, how being proactive plays in, and what exactly is involved in upkeep.
Let’s take a gander.
The Difference Between Maintenance and Stewardship
At first blush, these two words may look the same. Maintenance, stewardship … both mean taking care of something, right?
Well, yes and no. The difference between stewardship and maintenance is simultaneously semantic and tangible.
Maintenance
Basically, maintenance is all about scheduled upkeep. Do this now; do this a month later; do this two months after that.
While it is important to perform certain activities to keep an urban green space healthy, maintenance schedules may not meet the needs of the system where it’s at.
Stewardship
On the other hand, stewardship is all about digging deep, asking questions like:
- Is this system managing stormwater effectively?
- What do the soil and insect communities tell us about how well it’s working?
- Are some plants outcompeting others?
- Do we need a different mix of species for this spot?
- Is our planned maintenance schedule actually caring for every species on the list?
- Are we meeting the environmental objectives (e.g. modulating building temperature, attracting pollinators)?
Asking such questions helps us see whether or not the green space is achieving the original goals of the owner, so we can adjust maintenance accordingly. That’s the proactive approach.
The Proactive Approach
Did we say the proactive approach? Sorry, we meant the only approach.
Okay, it’s not the only approach. Indeed, you can revive a failing green roof if you have to … presuming you have the right professional help. But you lose so many benefits during the time it’s gone to seed, which is why it’s better to avoid an untended green roof (or other sustainable urban space) in the first place.
Rather than bringing a rooftop back from the brink, we suggest anticipating the problems before they become problems.
That means remaining vigilant at all times of year, in every type of green space — urban gardens, green roofs, pollinator gardens, rain gardens, stormwater management systems, and so on. Only then will you see peak performance all year round.
This may look different for different types of space. To wit:
- Urban gardens: More traditional gardens need more traditional care. Think trimming, pruning, transplanting or replacing, and irrigation considerations.
- Green roofs: While traditionally stocked with easygoing plants, green roofs do demand careful review of drainage systems, growing media, plant ratio, and more.
- Rooftop gardens: Specifically, these are urban gardens at elevation. They require many of the same structural and irrigation considerations as green roofs, with a side helping of aesthetic stewardship.
- Rain gardens: Stormwater is your big concern in a rain garden. Retaining or detaining water effectively, without becoming a small pond, is the goal.
Practical Tips for Maintaining Your Urban Green Space
Maintaining urban gardens, green roofs, and rain gardens over the course of a year requires any number of different tasks, which differ depending on the location, climate, and type of system. From irrigation to natural pest care, plant replacement to general upkeep, you need a practical approach that will get you through all four seasons.
Here are our favorite practical approaches.
Regular Site Inspections
No, you shouldn’t bull ahead with a maintenance timetable if your green space is telling you to adjust your approach.
But if all is well and good, you should absolutely stick to a schedule for site inspections. Planned maintenance that aligns with the system’s needs is stewardship. Think of it like this: When you discover you need unplanned maintenance, well, you’re already behind the eight ball.
Regular site inspections help ensure that your upkeep plan is working. If not, adjust it. Transforming maintenance into stewardship is often as simple as that.
Seasonal Plant Care
Plant needs cycle with the seasons. In spring, they need lots of feeding and replacing where they didn’t survive the cold months. In summer, water is key. In fall, pruning and deadheading come to the forefront. And in winter, they’ve earned their rest.
Irrigation System Maintenance
Waterwise irrigation systems are a great way to go green, optional in some systems and necessary in others. Wherever they’re in use, though, you have to check on them proactively to make sure they’re still in good shape and working hard.
Natural Pest Control
Many green spaces do, from time to time, suffer from pests. There are many things you can do about this: bring in beneficial insects to contain them; encourage pollinators to keep your mini-ecosystem in balance; and reduce the use of harsh chemicals that may encourage algal blooms in retention ponds, to name a few.
General Upkeep
Again, urban green spaces are like more carefully balanced urban gardens. While plants may need a bit more TLC if they live on exposed rooftops, they require the same types of general upkeep: removal of weeds, redistribution of plants, and reduction of bullying species.
Storm Cleanup
Giant storm? Clean it up! While most urban green spaces can withstand severe weather just fine, it never hurts to check after a big one.
Fast and Reliable Green Space Stewardship with Ecogardens
Need stewardship? At your service.
Ecogardens is adept at maintaining all types of green spaces, at all times of year. We’re happy to step in to save an ailing space, pick up the maintenance from a recent project, or take the full design-build-maintain approach from the start.
It’s really up to you. All you have to do? Get in touch today.