Why 

GreenScape?
Our yards are our outdoor homes: fun, beautiful, 

great spaces for relaxing. By taking care of our lawns 

and gardens properly, we can save money, time and 

help the environment. GreenScaping encompasses 

a set of landscaping practices that can improve the 

health and appearance of your lawn and garden 

while protecting and preserving natural resources.

By simply changing your landscape to a GreenScape, you can save time and money and protect the 

environment.

 Save time by landscaping with plants that 

require less care

 Save money by eliminating unnecessary 

water and chemical use

Protect the environment by:

 Conserving water supplies.

 Using chemicals properly and only when necessary 

to keep waterways and drinking water clean.

 Reducing yard waste by recycling yard trimmings 

into free fertilizer.

Put nature to workin your yard

In nature, soil recycles dead plants into nutrients for new 

plant growth. Plants are adapted to the water, sun and 

soil available in their site. Maintaining a wide variety 

of healthy plants, soil organisms, beneficial insects and 

animals can keep most pests and diseases in check.

By working with nature, you can have a great-looking 

yard that’s easier to care for, cheaper to 

maintain and healthier for 

families, pets, wildlife and 

the environment.

How?

Start with these five easy steps:

1 Build and maintain healthy soil

2 Plant right for your site

3 Practice smart watering

4 Adopt a holistic approach 

to pest management

5 Practice natural lawn care
1 Build and maintain 

 healthy soil with

 compost and mulch

A teaspoonful of healthy soil contains about 4 

billion organisms! This community of beneficial 

soil creatures keeps our landscapes healthy by:

 Creating a loose soil structure that allows air, 

water and plant root growth into 

the soil.

 Recycling nutrients and making 

them available to plants.

 Storing water until plants need it.

 Protecting plants from some pests and diseases.

Know what your soil needs.

A soil test will tell you how much nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and lime your soil needs to grow 

healthy plants. Depending on the condition of the 

soil, you may not even need to apply these nutrients!

Contact your local Cooperative Extension office or 

garden supply center for a soil test kit. 

Feed your soil with compost.

Dig or rototill one to three inches of compost into 

6 to 12 inches of top soil when you’re making new 

beds or planting lawns. Top dress existing lawns 

with a quarter- to half-inch of compost every 

spring or fall. Compost helps sandy soils hold nutrients and water, loosens clay soils and feeds the beneficial soil life so it can feed and protect your plants.

Make compost at home, 

or buy it in bags or bulk.

Yard and food waste are a gardener’s 

gold! Leaves, chopped stalks, flowers 

and grass all make great compost 

in a pile or bin. Vegetable scraps and 

coffee grounds can also be added to your bin, but 

do not use meat, dairy or oils because they can 

attract pests. You should turn your compost every 

few weeks with a pitchfork to distribute air and 

moisture. Make sure to sprinkle water on your 

pile in dry weather. In most climates, you will have 

finished compost in three to six months, when the 

waste becomes a dark, crumbly material that is 

uniform in texture.
Mulch it!

Mulch is a layer of organic material like leaves, aged 

wood chips, compost or grass clippings that you 

spread in spring or fall around your plants. Never 

exceed more than three inches of mulch in your 

landscaping beds, and keep mulch about an inch 

away from stems and tree trunks. Mulch stabilizes 

soil temperature, prevents weeds, feeds the 

soil for healthier plants and helps to 

conserve water. And it recycles itself!

Mulch improves:

 Flower beds and vegetable 

gardens Use one to three inches of 

shredded leaves, compost or grass 

clippings that have not been treated 

with pesticides.

 Trees, shrubs and woody perennials Use two to 

three inches of woody mulches, like shredded tree 

bark or aged wood chips. Shredded fall leaves also 

work well. Be sure to keep mulches an inch away 

from plant stems or trunks to prevent rot.

 Lawns Mulch your lawn? Yes, you can “grasscycle” 

(leave the clippings on the lawn when mowing). The 

clippings quickly decompose and release valuable 

nutrients back into the soil to feed the grass, 

reducing the need for nitrogen by 25 to 50 percent.

Need fertilizer? Go slow!

Most trees and shrubs get all the nutrients they 

need from the soil. But annual plants, 

vegetable gardens and lawns sometimes need additional nutrients 

from a fertilizer. When shopping 

for fertilizer, look for a product 

that contains “natural organic” 

or “slow-release” ingredients. Unlike 

“quick-release” fertilizers, “natural 

organic” or “slow-release” fertilizers 

feed your plants slowly and evenly. 

The result? Healthier plants with 

strong root systems and no excessive “top growth” — saving you time 

and money. 

Improper use of fertilizers can damage beneficial 

soil life essential for healthy soils and plants. 
pH is a measure of soil acidity 

or alkalinity and directly affects 

the availability of nutrients for 

your plants.

2 Plant right for your site

Get to know your yard and decide 

how you want to use it.

Where is it sunny or shady? What is the pH of your 

soil? What type of soil (e.g., sandy, clay) do you have 

in your yard? Look around — are there plants with 

problems? Where do you want play areas, vegetables, color, views or privacy? How much lawn do you 

need or want to maintain? 

Choose the right plant 

for the right place.

Select plants that grow well in your 

area of the country and fit the 

amount of sun, type of soil and 

water available in your yard. In 

general, it makes sense to use 

low-water plants to save yourself 

the time and expense of watering. 
Think about how big a tree or shrub will be when 

mature (especially next to your house or driveway 

and near power lines). 

Pick plants that resist pests.

Many garden centers and nurseries offer information about pest- and disease-resistant plant varieties. After they’re established, they’ll save you time 

and money on pest control.

Give plants a good start.

Prepare the soil by mixing one to three inches of 

compost into soil in planting beds. For trees and 

shrubs, mix compost into the whole planting bed, 

or just plant in existing soil and mulch thoroughly. 

Set plants at the correct soil level, following instructions provided with your plant. Mulch new 

plantings and be sure to water even drought-tolerant plants during their first few years especially in 

the summer and fall, until they build deep roots.

Make space for wildlife. You can invite birds, butterflies and 

other wildlife into your yard, protect 

streams and fish, and make a 

more attractive landscape.

 Consider planting native trees 

and plants, especially ones with 

berries, fruit and flowers.

 Plant in layers (ground cover, shrubs and 

trees) so your landscape is like the forest.

 Don’t plant invasive species — check with your local 

Cooperative Extension office for a list of invasive 

“noxious weeds.” 

 Minimize potential harm to birds, beneficial insects 

and fish by using pesticides only when necessary 

and using them properly. Read the label and follow 

instructions carefully whenever you use a pesticide.

 Provide a bird bath or other small water source. 

Make sure you change the water every couple of 

days so your bird bath doesn’t become a mosquito 

breeding ground.

 Leave wild “buffer” areas of native plants along 

ravines, streams, shorelines and fencelines.
3 Practice smart watering

 for healthier plants

Too much of a good thing.

Did you know that watering too much or too little 

is the cause of many common plant problems? You 

can have healthier plants, save money on water 

bills and conserve precious water resources by 

learning to give your lawn and garden just what 

they need, and no more.

Water deeply, but infrequently.

Most plants do best if the soil is allowed to partially 

dry out between waterings. A loss of shine or footprints remaining after you walk across the lawn 

indicates that it’s time to water. Vegetables and 

other annuals should be watered at the first sign 

of wilting, but tougher perennials (plants that live 

several years) need water only if they stay droopy 

after it cools off in the evening. Trees and shrubs 

usually don’t need any watering once their 

roots are fully established (two to five 

years), except in very dry years.

Make every drop 

count.

Some easy ways to 

lower water bills and 

get more water to plants 

include:

 Build your soil with compost 

and mulch to hold water and 

reduce evaporation.

 Choose low-water-use plants. Once established, 

they can often thrive just on rainfall.

 Use soaker hoses or drip irrigation on beds — 

they can save 50 percent or more compared 

with sprinklers.

 Use an outdoor water timer (available at garden 

stores) to water just the right amount, frequency 

and time of day.

 Water lawns separately from other plantings. 

Make sure sprinklers aren’t watering the pavement.

 When soil is dry or compacted, it won’t absorb 

water quickly. If water puddles, stop watering 

a while and then restart so the water has time 

to soak in.
 Water in the early 

morning — if you 

water at mid-day, 

much of the water 

just evaporates. 

Evening watering 

should be avoided 

because it can 

encourage 

the growth of 

mold or plant 

diseases.

 In a dry spell, 

you can allow 

an established 

lawn to go 

dormant. 

Water just once 

a month and 

brown areas of the 

lawn will bounce 

back in the fall.

Let the rain soak in.

Rain rushes off roofs, pavement 

and compacted soil. This causes 

flooding downstream, erodes 

stream banks and muddies the 

water, which harms fish and other 

wildlife. You can help slow this 

run-off and help the soil hold the 

moisture plants need in the summer.

 Direct downspouts out

into lawns, rain gardens 

or “rain barrels.”

 Use compost and mulch to reduce erosion and 

help rain soak in.

 Use open pavers, gravel or other pavement 

options that let rain seep into the soil.

 Plant dense strips of native trees, shrubs and 

groundcovers next to streams, lakes and ditches 

to stabilize the soil and to slow and filter run-off.
4 Adopt a holistic approach

to Pest Management

Pesticides (including weed and bug killers) can be 

effective tools for controlling pests such as insects, 

weeds and diseases. Be sure you need a pesticide 

before you use it. On-going pest problems are often 

a sign that your lawn or garden 

is not getting what it needs 

to stay healthy. You need to 

correct the underlying problem 

to reduce the chance of pests reappearing. Remember, a holistic — or 

integrated pest management — approach is the 

most effective way to manage pests. Here’s how:

Start with prevention.

 Maintain healthy soil with compost and mulch.

 Select pest-resistant plants and put them in the 

sun/shade and soil conditions they like.

 Use a variety of plants so, if pests attack, your whole 

garden isn’t at risk.

 Mow higher. Most grasses should be mowed to a 

height of two to three inches. Taller grass has more 

leaf surface and deeper roots and eventually chokes 

out many weeds.

 Clean out diseased plants so disease doesn’t spread.

 Pull weeds before they go to seed and spread.

 Remove dead plants to reduce hiding places for 

insect pests.

Identify the problem before you 

spray, squash or stomp.

Whether it’s a bug, disease or weed, you need to 

identify it to know how to effectively manage it. 

The cause of ailing plants or grass may not be pests 

or disease but incorrect mowing or pruning, improper watering or other easily corrected practices. 

That scary bug could actually be a beneficial “good 

bug” that eats problem pests. 

Accept a little damage — 

give nature time to work.

Accept a few pests, as long as they are not harmful 

to the long-term effects of the landscape. Natural 

predators often bring pests under control, but they 
need time to work. Monitor your landscape to spot 

signs of pests but don’t spray at the first sign of 

damage — nature may control it for you or plants 

may outgrow the damage.

If a pest or weed problem develops, 

use an integrated approach to solve 

the problem.

Physical controls like traps, barriers, fabric row 

covers or plants that repel pests can 

work for some pests.

 Use a little “elbow grease.” 

Long-handled weed pullers 

pop dandelions and other 

weeds out easily.

 Mulching, not to exceed 

three inches, reduces weeds 

in garden beds.

 Use “crop rotation” techniques by 

changing the planting location for annuals to 

minimize their susceptibility to pests and disease.

Replace problem plants with pestresistant ones for a healthier, carefree yard.

 If a plant, even a tree, has insect, pest or disease 

problems every year, consider replacing it with a 

more tolerant or resistant variety or another type 

of plant that doesn’t have these problems.

Use pesticides responsibly.

 Carefully read and follow pesticide product label 

instructions. Avoid overuse of pesticides. When you 

have a small problem area, treat just that area, not 

the entire yard.

Text overflow on separate page

Most bugs are 

good bugs.

Only about 5–

15 percent of 

the bugs in your yard 

are pests. “Good bugs,” 

like the ladybug (left) and the praying 

mantis (right), help control pests.
5 PracticeNatural Lawn Care

It’s easy to save time and money 

by putting these steps to work for 

a beautiful yard.

Mow higher, mow regularly 

and leave the clippings.

 Mow more frequently when grass is actively 

growing so that you are only cutting no more than 

one-third of the height of the grass. This practice 

minimizes the amount of grass clippings.

 The desired height of grass varies depending on 

climate. Contact your local Cooperative Extension 

office for local recommendations.

 “Grasscycling,” or leaving the clippings on the lawn, 

doesn’t cause thatch build up — but it does make 

lawns healthier. Soil organisms recycle the clippings 

into free fertilizer, and you save all the work of 

bagging.

 Modern mulching lawn mowers make “grasscycling” 

even easier, and homeowners can reduce their 

mowing time by 30 to 40 percent by not having to 

bag clippings. 

Use “natural organic” or 

“slow-release” fertilizers.

Choose “natural organic” or “slow-release” fertilizers 

to reduce nutrient run-off and leaching. To avoid 

run-off, keep fertilizers on the soil and away from 

sidewalks, streets and driveways. Fertilizers that 

run off are a waste of money and contribute to 

pollution of streams and lakes. Read and follow 

product labels carefully before using fertilizer and 

How much is one inch 

of water a week? 

Scatter clean, empty tuna cans or 

other straight-sided containers on 

your lawn; turn on the sprinklers 

and check the time. When most 

cans have one inch of water in them, turn off the sprinkler 

and check how long it ran. Now you know how long to 

run your sprinkler each week in summer if you want to 

keep your lawn green. 
other lawn chemicals. Use fertilizers sparingly. The 

more you fertilize, the faster the grass grows and 

the more frequently you have to mow! 

Water deeply, but infrequently, 

to moisten the whole root zone.

Let the soil dry between waterings to prevent lawn 

disease and save water. Lawns need only about one 

inch of water a week in summer, including rain, to 

stay green. Or you can let areas of lawn that don’t 

get heavy wear go brown and dormant — just water 

once a month and they’ll bounce back in the fall.

Overseeding can improve 

the quality of your lawn.

 Core aerate in the fall to improve root development 

and water penetration.

 Follow by overseeding thin areas of lawn with grass 

seed blends recommended for your area.

 Then “top-dress” by raking in 1⁄4 to 1⁄2 inch of compost 

to cover the seed and improve the soil.

 Repeat these steps annually as needed to improve 

poor lawns.

Honey, I shrunk the lawn!

Grass grows best on level, welldrained soil in full sun or part shade. 

Consider alternatives to grass on 

steep slopes, shady areas or near 

streams and lakes. In these areas, 

it takes a lot of extra work (and 

sometimes chemicals) to maintain 

grass. Look for other plants, such as 

ground covers, better suited to soggy soil, 

slopes or heavy shade. Leave or plant a “buffer” 

of dense native vegetation along streams and lakes 

to filter and slow run-off, shade and cool the water, 

provide homes for wildlife and prevent bank erosion.

Lawn care practices are often targeted by watershed 

managers as significant contributors of pesticides 

and nutrients to run-off. In fact, surveys show higher 

concentrations of some pesticides, particularly insecticides, 

in urban streams than in agricultural streams.
Remember to work with nature in 

your yard by starting with these five 

easy steps :

1 Build and maintain healthy soil

2 Plant right for your site

3 Practice smart watering

4 Adopt a holistic approach

to pest management

5 Practice natural lawn care

By following these steps, you can save time, money 

and make your piece of the planet a healthier place 

to live.

Check with local authorities to find out more about specific requirements concerning watering, using pesticides and fertilizers, 

composting and other practices recommended in this brochure.
Remember the Four R’s:

 Reduce

 Reuse

 Recycle

 Rebuy
For more information on these and other 

GreenScaping techniques and resources, 

please visit our Web site at

www.epa.gov/GreenScapes

GreenScapes is a component of EPA’s Resource Conservation 

Challenge, designed to promote environmentally beneficial 

landscape practices across the nation. By adopting the practices 

outlined in this booklet, consumers can learn how to “GreenScape” 

their yards and, in doing so, help to preserve natural resources and 

prevent waste and pollution.

A special thanks to City of Seattle Public Utilities and King County, 

Washington, Solid Waste Division for providing content information.

Reference to any specific commercial products, 

processes, companies or services by trade 

name, trademark, manufacturer or otherwise, 

does not constitute or imply endorsement or 

recommendation by the U.S. Environmental 

Protection Agency. June 2006

EPA 530-K-06-002

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Recycled Paper (Minimum 50% Postconsumer) 

Process Chlorine Free