In 2000, the American Horticultural Society, which has historically led the way in promoting scientifically sound and environmentally responsible gardening practices, introduced the SMARTGARDEN™ program, a holistic approach to gardening that is designed to help gardeners become even more active stewards of the earth.

The SMARTGARDEN™ concept combines the needs of our changing lifestyles with the environmental imperatives of the 21st century by linking all of the environmentally responsible gardening techniques that many of us try to put into practice in our gardens—selecting plants appropriate for climate, soil, and light exposure; practicing efficient watering methods; using integrated pest management (IPM) to minimize applications of synthetic pesticides; and composting to reduce waste entering landfills and create rich soil amendments.

BEAUTY IS NOT SACRIFICED

Having a SMARTGARDEN™ doesn’t mean sacrificing a beautiful landscape, it simply means practicing good stewardship of the earth in the course of creating and maintaining the garden of your dreams.

This new century will present many challenges. The last decade of the 20th century brought the highest average global temperatures on record and it looks like more of the same is in store. As the earth’s population continues to increase, we must all look for ways to minimize our environmental “footprint.” Our choices will affect not only our landscapes, but the environment as a whole. This means cutting our output of pollutants while at the same time reducing our consumption of precious natural resources.

WORKING WITH NATURE

The key is to work with rather than against nature. This requires a thorough and eyes-wide-open assessment of our garden sites—both their potential and limitations. What has been successful in the past, and what has been troublesome or simply too much work?

Selecting plants that are compatible with your growing conditions is one of the principal tenets of the SMARTGARDEN™. To make this process easier for gardeners, Dr. H. Marc Cathey, AHS president emeritus, has created a SMARTGARDEN™ coding system for ornamental plants. Codes indicate each plant’s light requirements, soil moisture requirements, height and width, USDA hardiness zones, and AHS heat zones.

These codes appear in four AHS Regional SMARTGARDEN™ Guides (Northeast/Southeast/Northwest/Southwest editions).

We must also reassess our gardening practices. To realize the greatest benefits from our time and efforts we need to take advantage of the horticultural tools, technology, and knowledge that are available and can help us garden smarter and more efficiently.

And finally, we need to measure every gardening decision against its environmental impact; in this way we recognize the important part we each play in stewardship of the earth.

The SMARTGARDEN™ program is designed around ten general principles, or tenets, that guide the gardener through the process of making scientifically sound and earth friendly decisions in the garden. Click here to learn more.

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