Managed natural areas provide habitat for wildlife and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by reducing lawn mowing. The videos below show how to replace lawn areas with natives, edibles, or rain gardens. They were created to further the Town of Hillsborough managed natural landscaping ordinance and comprise the capstone project of the 2020 trainee class of the Orange County Extension Master GardenerSM program. Read more about the Hillsborough ordinance.
Edible Landscaping
Edible landscaping (“foodscaping”) is a way to add vegetable and fruit plants to existing garden beds and containers instead of planting a separate food garden. Tucking edible plants among your flowers saves space, discourages weeds, adds interest to your yard, and provides pollinator habitats. In this video, we show you how to do it!
Resources
- Central NC Planting Calendar for Annual Vegetables, Fruits, and Herbs
- Planting and Harvesting Guide for Piedmont Vegetables and Herbs
- Vegetable Gardening: A Beginner’s Guide
- Edible Landscaping
Rain Gardens
Installing a rain garden is a cost-effective and attractive way to enhance your home’s beauty and value while at the same time decreasing storm water runoff and pollution in local creeks and waterways. We created this short instructional video explaining the simple steps used to install a rain garden of any size.
Resources
Native Plants
The Town of Hillsborough permits residents to replace high-maintenance lawns with native plants, which provide food and shelter for wildlife and support the pollinators that sustain over 75% of the world’s plant species. We discuss the benefits of native plants, various approaches to a managed natural landscape, native plants for sun and shade, and how to create your own native landscape.
Resources
Get Started
- Native Plants: How to Get Started
- Landscape Design
- Landscaping for Wildlife with Native Plants
- A Gardener’s Guide to Soil Testing
Visit Native Plantings for Inspiration
Find Native Plants for Your Yard
- Going Native: Urban Landscaping for Wildlife with Native Plants
- North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox
Identify and Remove Invasive Species
- Invasive Plants Found in the Piedmont of North Carolina
- Goats as Control for Non-Native Plants: A Win-Win?
- Soil Solarization for Gardens and Landscapes
Install a Managed Meadow
- Planting for Pollinators: Establishing a Wildflower Meadow from Seed
- Native Meadows and Grasslands: From Vision to Reality
Purchase Native Plants and Seeds
Promote and Protect Wildlife
- Managing Backyards and Other Urban Habitats for Birds
- Amphibians and Reptiles of North Carolina
- Coexisting with Herps
- Nature’s Best Hope
Register Your Garden as a Wildlife Habitat
National Pollinator Garden Challenge
Find Additional Resources
Additional Resources for the Native Plant Gardener
