Gardening to Save the Bay

The Chesapeake Bay is an estuary that provides life to millions of different classes of marine animals. Estuaries are partially closed-off bodies of water consisting of brackish water. Brackish water occurs when freshwater from nearby rivers and streams mixes with saltwater from the ocean.

Being the largest estuary of its kind in the United States, the Chesapeake Bay is composed of marshes, wetlands, mudflats, underwater grass beds, and, of course, open water. This wide variety of habitats provides a home and breeding ground for amphibians, reptiles, birds, mammals, and plant life, in addition to some of the best shellfish in the world. This fertile and delicate ecosystem provides natural nutrients to the plants and organisms which come from the nutrient-rich water that filters off the top into the estuary, and it is in danger.

Humans are wreaking havoc on the Chesapeake Bay with pollution and chemical runoff from fertilizers, bug spray, factories, and cars. People tend to think that because they live inland, they have no effect on the Bay. This could not be further from the truth. It does not matter if you live directly on the water or inland, our pollution still finds a way to reach the Bay, poisoning it and the habitats that depend on it. It is not just our trash, animal waste, septic systems, and wastewater treatment plants that are causing all this damage.

Our gardens, which we grow and maintain lovingly to help bring some beauty into the world, are also poisoning our ecosystem. While it can be hard to understand how something so beautiful can cause so much damage, there are simple measures that can be taken to ensure that your garden is not part of the problem.

Based out of Annapolis and serving the surrounding areas, the Garden Girls are not just experts in landscape beautification, they also know what it takes to keep the Bay safe and healthy. Working in the Bay area for over 20 years, Loni Moyer and her Garden Girls make every effort and take every precaution to provide “Green” treatment when putting together their masterpieces. Bay-friendly landscaping helps to keep the Bay and all of its habitats healthy by using native plants and grasses that do not require water or fertilizer that may run off into the Bay.

The Garden Girls educate their clients on how to reduce the use of herbicides and pesticides and other ways to keep the Bay healthy. The health of our entire region relies upon the health of The Chesapeake Bay, and the expertise of the Garden Girls is just one thing that make Garden Girls the number one landscaping company in the region. For more information, please visit www.gardengirlsllc.com.