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STEP 3: <br />irket Bay-Friendly Landscaping Packages <br />Another important question to ask yourself as you expand <br />your Bay-Friendly services is how to market them to your <br />clients. Here are some suggestions for Bay-Friendly <br />Landscaping Packages that could be developed to both <br />respond to and encourage customer demand: <br />Lawns continue to be a part of our culture. But maybe it is <br />time to rethink what we mean by a lawn. Bay-Friendly <br />landscaping emphasizes that high input lawns are not included <br />solely for their looks. Small functional lawns those that are <br />used for play and relaxation -can be managed to minimize <br />environmental impacts and provide your clients with a safer <br />lawn by including: <br />^ Grasscycling <br />^ Aerating, then topdressing with compost <br />^ Phasing out the scheduled application of synthetic fertilizers <br />and pesticides <br />^ Feeding with compost or other natural or slow release <br />fertilizers after analysis or demonstrated need <br />^ Integrated pest management that includes: <br />• Hand pulling weeds <br />• Use of natural herbicides <br />• Use of beneficial nematodes <br />• Use of compost tea for disease management and nutrient <br />cycling <br />^ State of the art irrigation management to prevent over <br />watering <br />,, <br />Specializing in designing, constructing or maintaining wildlife <br />gardens is another opportunity for your business to grow and <br />flourish. Develop expertise in the following practices and offer <br />them to new and existing clients: <br />^ Survey flora and fauna <br />^ Learn about local, natural plant communities and use them <br />as models <br />^ Conserve or restore natural areas <br />^ Diversify and include many California native plant species <br />^ Provide water and shelter <br />^ Eliminate the use of pesticides <br />., <br />Soil is the foundation of a healthy, beautiful landscape. Offer the <br />following practices: <br />^ Assessing the soil and testing drainage <br />^ Removing and storing topsoil during construction <br />^ Protecting soil from compaction and erosion <br />^ Amending the soil with compost <br />^ Mulching regularly <br />^ Feeding soils naturally with compost or compost tea <br />^ Avoiding synthetic fertilizers <br />^ Minimizing chemicals with a goal of eliminating them <br />altogether <br />-` "Ecological design has <br />Survey Says... <br />More than SO% of single-family <br />~' ~ ~ - a lot to do with how we present <br />• it to the client. It's in our hands. <br />We need to describe our work in <br />language that appeals to people, <br />that they can relate to and sign on to. " <br />- Rebecca Coffman, Landscape Architect, Berkeley <br />households with yards or gardens <br />are interested in creating habitat <br />for birds and pollinators. <br />a <br />63 <br />