Northeast Native Planting Guide: LEED Outdoor Water Use Reduction

When I was a child my parents used to say, “Your grandmother has a green thumb”. Back then I did not know what it meant. I assumed my grandmother’s thumb would swell green and fall off. How terrifying.

Now that I’m an adult and I still have no idea what it means, or takes, to achieve “green thumb” status. If you are like me and could kill a cactus, LEED offers a credit to fulfill called Outdoor Water Use Reduction that works as a “Planting and Saving Plants for Dummies” feature.

LEED Outdoor Water Use Reduction

The intention of this feature is simple, to reduce outdoor water consumption to save our precious resource water and our precious wallets.

But how?

Located under the LEED Water Efficiency credit, the Outdoor Water Use Reduction feature can be fulfilled through one of the following options.

Option 1. No Irrigation Required for 2 points (1 for Healthcare):

To take this route, those wanting to achieve this feature must prove that their landscape does not require any permanent irrigation system beyond a maximum two-year time period. This means that after you have planted your garden and it has been established for two years, the garden is essentially self-sustaining thereafter.

Option 2. Reduced Irrigation for 2 points (1 for Healthcare):

Reduce the project’s landscape water requirement by at least 50 percent from the calculated baseline for the site’s peak watering month.

For example, if you find that you are watering plants most in the middle of July, this option requires that you reduce July watering by at least half. Both of these options can be met by choosing the right plants and the right design features to include in your business or home garden.

Sounds great right? Here is how to achieve a zero effort garden based on the region you are from.

Chesapeake Bay Watershed Plants

For those who live in the mildly frigid, mildly hot New England region planting the right plants for a minimal effort garden can be challenging. Wildlife Habitat and USFWS offers a long list of plants that are native to the Chesapeake Bay Watershed. The Chesapeake Bay Watershed is the largest in North America and includes much of Virginia and Maryland, as well as parts ofWest Virginia, Delaware, Pennsylvania, New York and all of Washington D.C.

Ground Cover Plants:

Ground cover plants typically require little to no watering outside of rainfall. These plants grow in clumps and can spread over large areas of open understory or pasture-like areas. Many ground cover plants stay green throughout the cold and hot seasons making them the ideal lazy man’s plant. A few of my favorite ground cover plants that do well in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed region are:

• Evergreen Wood Fern:These plants retain their beautiful bright green color throughout the seasons. They thrive in a wide range of suitability from no light to constant light and can bear dry to wet conditions. This fern spreads but it easily transplanted if found to be invasive. With little watering requirements, this fern is ideal for those looking to cut back on outdoor water use and fulfill the LEED Water Efficiency Credit.

• New York Fern: An alternative to the Wood Fern is the New York Fern. These plants also thrive in virtually any condition making them the perfect New England survivor plant. New York Ferns attract songbirds and other wildlife that feed from them such as beneficial insects and squirrels. These plants tolerate drought, are easily transplanted, and form large colonies.

• Lily of the Valley: Perhaps the most beauteous option of this ground cover list is Lily of the Valley. These plants produce beautiful white flowers that produce a strong sweet fragrance. Lily of the Valley is a perennial known for its quick spreading and determination through harsh winters. This plant requires little to no watering and is hardy in U.S. planting zone 3 to 8. Lily of the Valley will tolerate anything from full shade to some sun.

Herbaceous Plants:

Herbaceous plants are either annuals, biennials, or perennials. They are most often seen in garden beds, around trees and shrubs, and in containers with various size, shapes, foliage

textures and color. Herbaceous plants bring color into the garden and if chosen correctly can reduce outdoor water consumption to fulfill the LEED Outdoor Water Use Reduction feature. Herbaceous Plants that thrive in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed are:

• Wild Red Columbine:This beautiful woodland wildflower has showy, drooping, bell-like flowers equipped with distinctly backward-pointing tubes. Columbines come in blue, violet, pink, or white hybrid colors to produce a beautifully unique look to your garden. They like it dry to mildly wet conditions and do well in most soil types. Wild Red Columbines attract butterflies, hummingbirds and beneficial insects.

• Butterfly Milkweed: Another beautifulflowering plant that requires little watering is the Butterfly Milkweed. These perennial plants thrive in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed because they require minimal watering and do well in either full sun or part sun. As the name suggests, Butterfly Milkweeds attract butterflies and beneficial insects that will keep your project site looking beautiful year-round as well as fulfilling the LEED Outdoor Water Use Reduction feature.

• Golden Aster: The Golden Aster is an American native flower that appears from Eastern New York to Ohio to Florida and Texas. This flower produces silky purple stems with beautiful yellow flowers. The Golden Aster is a perfect choice for those looking to reduce their water consumption because it prefers a dry and arid environment. This plant flowers from June to October and survives harsh winters.

Shrubs:

Shrubs provide coverage and come in many different shapes and sizes. Nicknamed “customizable mini trees”, these plants can be transformed into anything you want. Flowering shrubs include varieties of lavender, periwinkle and garden roses.

• American Beautyberry or French Mulberry: This shrub produces beautiful little purple berries throughout the seasons. The American Beautyberry also produces fragrant lavender-pink flowers from June to August. This shrub is ideal for those wanting to reduce their outdoor water consumption because it thrives in dry conditions. The American Beautyberry attracts songbirds and other wildlife to make the garden an enjoyable environment for all species.

• Gray Dogwood: This tough, low-maintenance shrub offers subtle year-round beauty. The Gray Dogwood produces color throughout the entire year. Reddish pink fruit stems offer an appreciated contrast to the dismal darkness of winter. In the spring, white flowers brighten the landscape. White berries attract many mammals and songbirds in late summer and early fall. Gray Dogwoods work well for borders and require minimal watering as typically natural rainfall does the trick.

• Azalea Bush: Azaleas add vibrant splashes of color to green environments. Their early budding and flowering in cold climates make them ideal for Chesapeake Bay Watershed regions. Azaleas are acid-loving plants so they do best in highly acidic soils and clay. Azaleas prefer the shade or moderate sun but can tolerate heavy sun exposure for short amounts of time. Azaleas do not require much watering as long as they are planted in conditions that receive a moderate amount of rain annually. They make the perfect addition for gardeners who want a “one and done” shrub experience.

By choosing the right types of plants for your gardens, you can conserve water and ultimately reduce your water bill. For those living in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed, or Eastern North America, picking and choosing the right plants is not always an easy task. The plants listed above all require minimal maintenance and little watering outside of rainwater. Foliage that require minimal watering are ideal choices for those looking to fulfill the LEED Outdoor Water Use Reduction feature while maintaining a beautiful garden for all project types.