The horticultural business faces unusual issues of sustainability. Known as 'the green industry,' the name is more than a matter of buzzwords.

Environmental concerns and questions of social responsibility — as well as local restrictions such as water limitations — have moved many garden centers nationwide to work with customers to go beyond their green lawns and create sustainable landscaping. They are also making changes to make their own businesses greener.

Garden centers, for instance, are installing water retention ponds and filtering marshes to clean water leaving their businesses, in efforts to reduce the amount of pesticides and fertilizers entering ground water.

Robert Dolibois, executive vice president of the American Nursery and Landscape Association, spoke earlier this week to the Vermont Nursery and Landscape Association. He described the horticultural industry as a leader in water recycling and integrated pest management (using plants to reduce the need for pesticides), but Dolibois said that the industry as a whole needs to do more educate buyers about the economic and environmental impact of plants and landscaping.

"When you do a cost-benefit analysis, you need to factor in the economic value of ecological services such as trees and interior plantscapes that scrub the air," said Dolibois.

It's an issue of "the right plant in the right place," according to Dolibois. If landscape planning takes into account the natural habitat of the plant, as well as the location of the landscaping project, it's possible to reduce, or entirely avoid, the use of fertilizer, pesticides and water. Furthermore, effective landscape planning can help with other issues. Trees have a cooling effect; placed correctly, they can reduce the use of air conditioning. Proper landscaping can also help with stormwater management and other issues.

Horticulturalists must also educate themselves on the variety of alternative products now coming on the market. There are many options made from renewable resources, such as new pots: "The Horticultural Research Institute is looking at biodegradable pots made from chicken feathers," according to Dolibois. Pots are not the only horticulture products with sustainable options, either. Not all garden centers carry these products, however, simply because not everyone is up to date on the wide variety available.

Among other projects that Dolibois encouraged horticulturalists to explore is the Sustainable Sites Initiative. The initiative is an effort to develop a set of standards based on the LEED rating system to create a framework for site planning and landscaping.

Photo — ChiDN