http://www.earthdanceorganics.com/blog/rss/feedsAre you throwing money at your lawn and it still looks disappointing? Concerned about the effect of chemical treatments on your family, pets, and the environment? A reliable organic lawn and plant care program builds nourishing soils to support a thriving landscape. Take your stress away. Enjoy the lush lawn and garden you always dreamed of withoutThu, 30 Apr 2026 04:31:10 -0700http://www.earthdanceorganics.com/blog/post/fix-your-struggling-lawn-with-a-lawn-renovationhttp://www.earthdanceorganics.com/blog/post/fix-your-struggling-lawn-with-a-lawn-renovationFall is fast approaching, and you're finally ready to fix your lawn! Does your struggling lawn only need some minor repairs, or does it need a full Lawn Renovation? Knowing what’s wrong with your lawn is the first step to repairing it. Top Five Signs Your Lawn Is Struggling: Weeds Outnumber Grass Unsightly Bare Spots Yellowish, Thinning Grass Excessive Thatch Too Much Moss Let’s take a closer look at these top 5 signs of a struggling lawn: Weeds Outnumber Grass: What is your weed tolerance threshold? Perhaps a few weeds don’t bother you, but when they take over, especially tenacious weeds, you may decide it’s time to take action. Our Organic Weed Control program uses low-risk methods to help you get a handle on your weed problem. Unsightly Bare Spots: Despite reseeding and fertilizing, your grass still fails to take root and thrive. Your soil could be too compacted or poorly drained. Yearly Core Aeration is strongly recommended to open up the soil profile, allowing water, nutrients, and air to infiltrate more easily. Yellowish, Thinning Grass: Your lawn may look tired, worn-out, and lifeless. Healthy grass starts with healthy soil that contains essential nutrients and abundant soil biology. Soil microorganisms are tiny but powerful workhorses that break down nutrients for plants to use. Our Organic Lawn Care program includes a specially brewed probiotic tea, FertileTea, which boosts your soils with these beneficial microbes keeping your turf healthy for the long run. Excessive Thatch: Thatch is the buildup of old roots and organic debris where the grass stems meet the soil. A thin layer of thatch can be helpful to keep the soil cool, reduce water loss, and improve tolerance to foot traffic. However, excessive thatch can choke out healthy grass. Too much thatch (more than ½ inch) blocks water and nutrients from getting to the roots of your lawn. To learn about the benefits of removing thatch from your lawn, read Lawn Dethatching. Too Much Moss: Many homeowners struggle with moss in their lawns. Moss loves the climate in the Pacific Northwest with its acidic soils, shady areas, and wet conditions. By improving the health of your soil and using non-toxic methods to control moss, you can have a turf that is resistant to moss. Read about moss on our blog, “Why moss loves your lawn and how to remove it.” Spring and fall are the best seasons for a lawn renovation. Discover the perfect solution for your lawn by speaking with one of our experts and finally achieve the healthy, lush lawn you’ve always wanted. Thu, 04 Sep 2025 09:05:00 -0700http://www.earthdanceorganics.com/blog/post/native-bees--gentle-pollinators-for-your-yardhttp://www.earthdanceorganics.com/blog/post/native-bees--gentle-pollinators-for-your-yardAre you cautious around bees in your yard? Fear not! You can raise native bees, which are gentle and non-aggressive, with help from Crown Bees, located in Woodinville, WA. Photo credit: Crown Bees There are many good reasons to raise native bees, and your home landscape with diverse flowering plants is an ideal location for them. Native bees are solitary and don’t congregate into hives like honey bees. They look for small holes to nest in and raise offspring, an easy offering you can provide. Here’s what Crown Bees says about these bees: “They're Super Pollinators—Many solitary bees belly flop onto flowers and get pollen all over their bodies. They pollinate 95% of the flowers they visit, whereas Honeybees generally pollinate about 5% of the flowers they visit.” “They're Perfect for Backyards—Cavity-nesting bees, like mason and leafcutter bees, are gentle, easy to raise, and fun to watch. Not to mention, they can double or even triple your yields!” You can support our native bees by adding a bee house to your backyard. One sweet thing about these houses is that they can nestle into a hidden corner of your yard without changing the aesthetics. Or you can showcase a beautiful bee house from Crown Bees! This would be a great addition to your yard along with your pollinator-friendly plants. Photo credit: Crown Bees If you need help establishing a bee-friendly landscape, Earthdance Organics can assist you. Our Organic Plant Care supports healthy, thriving plants so you can enjoy your yard as Nature intended. We care about our native bees! Thu, 05 Jun 2025 12:10:00 -0700http://www.earthdanceorganics.com/blog/post/why-moss-loves-your-lawn-and-how-to-remove-ithttp://www.earthdanceorganics.com/blog/post/why-moss-loves-your-lawn-and-how-to-remove-itYou’re not alone if you have moss in your lawn. In the Pacific Northwest, we get a lot of calls from homeowners who have tried and failed to get rid of moss in their lawns. Why does moss love to grow in our yards and why is it so hard to remove? Moss is a native plant in the PNW, and our environmental conditions of heavy rainfall, a lot of shade, and acidic soils are perfect for growing moss. However, you may want more lawn in your yard and less moss. What can be done? If removing moss from your yard is your goal, you must first understand why moss is growing there. Next, you’ll need to change the conditions from “moss-loving” to “grass-loving”. Here are some facts about moss and what you can do: Moss loves wet conditions. Moss needs a lot of moisture to survive and grows well in poorly drained areas. Lacking any roots, it is an ideal plant for soggy areas with compact soils. To reduce moss, you must improve the drainage in your lawn. What you can do: 1. Identify the problem areas. Observe your lawn after a heavy rain and notice where the water pools. Is moss a problem in that area? 2. Dethatch your lawn to remove any built-up thatch. 3. Aerate your lawn yearly to allow the soil to “breathe” and reduce compaction. 4. Monitor your watering schedule and make a plan to reduce overwatering. See our blog for how much water your grass needs. 5. Consider installing a Smart Irrigation System that controls the amount of water based on weather conditions. Moss loves acidic soils. The PNW, with its acidic soils, is a haven for rhododendrons, azaleas, and moss! But what about growing grass for lawns? Grass cannot tolerate these acidic conditions and needs the soil “sweetened” to thrive. What you can do: 1. STOP using granular products that contain iron. Although these products promise to kill moss, they only work as a “quick fix”. In the long run, your moss problem will worsen. Why? Iron, a heavy metal, builds up in the soil and stays there year after year. Iron is acidic and contributes to the already acidic soil conditions, which moss loves and grass hates. 2. Get your soil tested to find out what your lawn needs. A soil test will help you assess the nutrition and soil amendments needed to grow a strong turf. 3. Sweeten the soil with a yearly application of calcium carbonate (lime) and monitor your lawn’s pH. Lawns thrive at a neutral pH between 6.5 and 7.0 while moss thrives in fairly acidic soils of pH 5.0 - 5.5. Balancing your soil pH to favor lawn over moss will be necessary. Moss loves shade. Moss can dominate in shady areas. Here’s what you can do to address the densely shady areas in your yard. What you can do: 1. Let in more sunlight and improve airflow by trimming shrubs and thinning tree branches. 2. Swap out grass for attractive shade-tolerant plants. 3. Renovate your lawn and reseed with a shade-tolerant grass variety. 4. Restore your soil to be more “grass-loving” by treating it with a probiotic tea such as FertileTea. 5. Maintain your lawn’s nutrition with high-quality organic fertilizers. Is there an easier alternative to this? You bet… Let your moss grow! In the PNW, moss is low maintenance and can create a desirable ground covering. It acts as a soft, pillowy, living mulch. If you would enjoy a moss-free lawn and need some guidance, we can help. As lawn and plant care experts, we can provide what you need to create the landscape you love. Thu, 14 Mar 2024 13:17:00 -0700http://www.earthdanceorganics.com/blog/post/frost-alert-protect-sensitive-plantshttp://www.earthdanceorganics.com/blog/post/frost-alert-protect-sensitive-plantsWe’re expecting a cold snap this weekend, and we want to share our tips for protecting sensitive plants during this time. Not all plants need protection, but plants in the following categories may need some extra help: • Half-hardy varieties • Tender perennials • Young seedlings and new growth • Recently planted plants • Plants in containers • Tropical and subtropical plants such as palms Signs of frost damage include discolored, blackened, stunted, or limp leaves and stems. In severe cases, defoliation or leaf drop. Some woody plants may experience splitting in the bark, stems, or trunk of the plant. ❄️ Bill shares in his video the trick he’s used for years to keep his Jasmine plant cozy during frost periods - holiday lights! Newer strands of lights tend to be made up of LEDs which don’t emit much heat, but if you have some older string lights, they are just warm enough to prevent frost damage to the foliage of sensitive plants. ❄️ Mulch as always plays a critical role in your garden. Adding a layer of mulch can help to regulate swings in temperatures from very cold to very hot. In this case, the mulch will help insulate tender plants. If you’re just now adding mulch, this method is not the best for fragile seedlings, but instead should be used around the base of established plants. ❄️ Move potted plants to a sheltered location, preferably indoors for more sensitive plants. It’s best to put them either in a garden room, garage, porch or frost-free greenhouse. Use indoor spaces with cooler temperatures, if it’s too warm the plant will have difficulty acclimating. Plants in pots are more susceptible to frost damage because they’re not insulated as well as plants in the ground. If they’re too heavy to move, we recommend wrapping the containers. If you have plants in containers that can withstand the cold and are easier to move, use these to surround the plant that can’t be moved for added protection. ❄️ Cover plants with horticultural fleece or burlap. You can drape it directly over the plant, or use stakes to create a tent for more fragile varieties. Be sure to weigh down the corners so your covers don’t blow away! Remove during the day. ❄️ If you’re growing veggies you may already have a row cover system, but cloches and cold frames are another neat way to protect plants from frost. Some veggies benefit from frosts, so research first to see if covers are needed. Cloches are bell-shaped containers made from glass or plastic that are just large enough to protect smaller plants. These can be purchased or made at home by cutting the bottom off a milk jug or water bottle. Remove cloches during the day. Cold frames are typically a more permanent structure that come in many shapes and sizes, and they are another great DIY project. It’s important they have good ventilation on warmer days. ❄️Right plant, right place. For plants that can grow in our area, but are a bit more sensitive, it’s important to consider where they’re planted. Put them in a sheltered corner, whether this shelter is trees, more plants, a wall, some big boulders, etc. it is important they have a wind buffer. A wall or boulder has the added benefit of heat sinking. The structure will absorb heat from the sun all day, and slowly radiate warmth at night creating a microclimate more hospitable to your plant. ❄️ Lastly, the best defense for extreme weather is having healthy, established plants. Throughout the year it’s important to give them the right organic fertilizers, amendments, and seasonal pruning. Want to learn more about winter gardening tips? Give us a call! We’d love to help.Fri, 12 Jan 2024 09:53:00 -0700http://www.earthdanceorganics.com/blog/post/insect-alert-azalea-lace-bugshttp://www.earthdanceorganics.com/blog/post/insect-alert-azalea-lace-bugsWe want to alert you to an insect that may be feeding on your rhododendrons and azaleas. Originally from Japan and first spotted in Washington in 2008, the Azalea Lace Bug (Stephanitis pyrioides) has now become widespread in our area. In addition to your prized azaleas and rhododendrons, it can also feed on other landscape ornamentals such as mountain laurels and pieris. The Azalea Lace Bug close up. Photo: Thomas Shahon - Oregon Deptartment of Agriculture Despite their delicate appearance and minute size (⅛” - ¼”), their feeding habits can cause severe damage to plants. They’re often hiding out on the underside of the foliage where they insert their needle-like mouth parts into the leaf, secrete saliva, and suck out a chlorophyll rich smoothie. You may notice stippling on the leaves, and over time the whole leaf may bleach out. Severely damaged leaves brown out and die, which can defoliate the plant over time. For affected Evergreen varieties, the foliage retains injury and could be less functional for more than a year. Visuals of the types of damage left behind by ALBs and their various life stages. Photo: Oregon State University Controls Prevention is key - keep your plants hydrated! This bug is most active during our spring and summer months. Plants that are dehydrated send out distress signals that attract destructive insects like lace bugs. We encourage watering less frequently, but more deeply, and adding a thick layer of mulch to reduce your watering needs. Since rhododendrons and azaleas have a shallow root system, they may be suffering while surrounding plants with deeper roots show no signs of drought stress. See our blog here for our full tips on watering. Another important step is ensuring that your plants get the right nutrients, like those found in our FertileTea. Keeping your plants well-fed and hydrated is a great first defense against all pests and diseases. Try choosing cultivars that have shown resistance to Azalea Lace Bugs such as ‘Dram,’ ‘Marilee’, ‘Seigei,’ ‘Macrantha,’ ‘Salmon Pink,’ ‘Elsie Lee,’ ‘Red Wing,’ and ‘Sunglow’. If possible, move your plant to a shadier location, or create shade with taller canopy plants. Bonus if you include other flowering plants nearby to increase the complexity of your landscape and the variety of tiny predators hanging around. Lace bugs are the prey of green lacewings, assassin bugs, pirate bugs, mirid plant bugs, earwigs, lady beetles, spiders, and more. You can attract these beneficial insects by incorporating a wild area, herb garden, or flowers into your landscape. Understanding the life cycle of lace bugs is important to controlling the population. They overwinter as eggs that have been deposited inside the leaf and then covered with frass that creates a varnish-like shield. This double layer of protection makes treating the egg stage very difficult. In some areas, there’s a parasitic wasp that lays its larvae inside the egg, controlling up to 1⁄3 of the population. Without the help of these wasps, most organic insecticides with the exception of specific horticultural oils would not be effective at treating the egg stage. ALB adults and nymphs feeding on the underside of leaves Photo: Gardener's Path It’s best to treat during the nymph stage in spring after their first hatch, typically around May to early June. They have a long hatching period, and climate has a direct impact on how fast they go from nymph to adult. In warmer temperatures, it could take a short 22 days, in cooler areas it may take up to 97 days. Check once a week for nymphs. When populations are low, the nymphs can be knocked off with a strong stream of water from the hose. They’re first born clear, turning brown and spiky over time. In the clear stage they can be hard to detect, but they tend to cluster. By holding foliage to the sun, you can see the silhouettes of these clusters. Treating at the nymph stage is the best way to prevent damage to the plant. This will reduce the number of adults, who do 12 times more damage than nymphs, and will prevent the laying of future generations. Azalea lace bugs are considered more destructive than other lace bugs, such as their cousin Stephanitis rhododendri, because they lay multiple generations in one year. Catching this first generation is key, but there is a second one around late June - July, and if warm weather continues there could be a third generation around late August - September. If knocking them down with water doesn’t seem strong enough or they’ve reached the adult stage, there are various organic methods using insecticidal soaps and horticultural oils for control. We do not recommend the use of chemical insecticides which have harsher effects on pollinators, beneficials, and the environment. It’s important to consider when using any insecticide, organic or otherwise, the possible damage they can cause to beneficials, the environment, and yourself. Always follow the label and wear the recommended protective equipment. Don’t apply to flowers in bloom, and try to spray during the early or late hours of the day when pollinators are resting. Organic and naturally occurring insecticides must have direct contact with insects to be effective and may take multiple applications to be completely effective. Ideally, there would be enough diversity and natural predators that resorting to insecticides would not be necessary. For some, it may be a line they won’t cross. If the Azalea Lace bug has become unmanageable, it may be better to switch to a different flowering shrub altogether like camellias or daphnes. There are many ways to create a beautiful, robust, and varied landscape. As plants and bugs get moved all around the world, it’s crucial to be aware of the changes happening in our yards. Our landscapes are part of a patchwork that make up the urban ecosystem. By choosing to plant the right plants in the right place, increasing biodiversity, and using organic management methods, it's possible to have your own low-maintenance outdoor sanctuary. Want to learn more about organic pest management? Give us a call! We’d love to help.Mon, 02 Oct 2023 14:18:00 -0700http://www.earthdanceorganics.com/blog/post/wasp-relocation-program-1http://www.earthdanceorganics.com/blog/post/wasp-relocation-program-1We’ve put together this video for a quick how-to relocate a wasps nest in a non-lethal way. Wasps, like their fuzzy relatives the bees, are integral to ecosystems as pollinators. Some wasps are generalists, and others are the sole pollinators of specific plants. Their contribution to agriculture is valued at more than $250 billion as pollinators, but even more than that wasps help to defend crops from pests as well. It's estimated these valiant warriors are worth at least $416 billion annually worldwide as crop protectors. While these benefits are welcome in the garden, their territorial behavior can be troublesome close to home. Our video today is for an active nest, however there are preventative measures you can take as well. It's easy to build a fake nest with a paper bag, some filling (styrofoam or air pockets from packaging work well), and something to give it some weight at the bottom (e.g. pebbles/gravel). The wasps won't build a home near another nest, if hung outside of your home it may keep away carpenter bees as well. Source: City Pests If you can wait it out, yellow jackets all die during winter. The queen of the nest survives by burying herself deep underground. Wasps don't typically reuse the same nest the following year, but they may like the space it was in. April is usually a good time to caulk cracks, close up holes, and/or remove old nests from the previous year. Need help with organic pest management? Give us a call! We’d love to help. Earthdance Organics | (253) 927-2523 | info@earthdanceorganics.com Wed, 23 Aug 2023 12:59:00 -0700http://www.earthdanceorganics.com/blog/post/summer-watering-tipshttp://www.earthdanceorganics.com/blog/post/summer-watering-tipsThe dry, hot weather is here and it’s time to make sure our gardens stay hydrated. Our plants are happily growing, developing fruits, and getting their buds and branches ready for next year. The blessing of the summer sun spurs this growth, but without water all development can come to a grinding halt. Water helps your plants transport nutrients and is critical to photosynthesis. Additionally, a well-hydrated plant is better at fending off diseases and pests than one under drought stress. Today we’ll be sharing general tips for watering the garden, but if you’re concerned about your lawn, we have a blog about that here. Quick tip for lawns: if your lawn has already browned out and gone dormant for the summer, it’s best to wait for the fall rain to revive it. Until the rain returns, a bare minimum of a half inch of water every second or third week will ensure that the plant crowns stay hydrated. 🚿 First, reduce your watering needs by mulching and mulch well! A thick layer of organic mulch has a multitude of benefits: it keeps soil temperatures down, reduces weed pressure, retains moisture, and provides shelter and food for our microbe friends. 🚿 We recommend watering either early in the morning or in the early evening. The lower temperatures during these hours helps to prevent the water you put down from evaporating right back up into the atmosphere. 🚿 A proper watering routine helps plants to establish deep, resilient root systems. Generally this means watering deeply, but less frequently. If there’s always water sitting in the upper soil layers, your plants may not send down roots to look for it in the lower horizons. 🚿 Be aware of where you’re aiming your water. While there are plants that will do just fine if you saturate the foliage and the soil, some plants are prone to fungal diseases and this could create a big problem. We’re looking at you, zucchinis! Try to water as close to the soil as possible. Drip irrigation and soaker hoses are a great work around for this problem and will save you time as well. 🚿 Keep an eye on the foliage of your plants. Leaves wilt as a defense mechanism - there is less surface area of the plant exposed to the sun which limits sunburn and transpiration. On an extremely hot day, this may be a normal reaction, but if your plant doesn’t perk back up in the evening or after getting water, it could be a sign of too much or too little watering. Conversely, if you have a plant that you know is getting enough water, and it seems to only perk up in the evening, this could be a sign there’s something wrong with the root system. 🚿 For young plants, their foliage may be too tender to handle the heat. A temporary shade cloth will help them through the hotter days. 🚿If you have plants waiting in black plastic pots for their forever home, move them to a shaded area. You can also create a sun break by surrounding them with plants in ceramic/other non-heat attracting pots, or hiding the base behind a garden bed. Either way, the goal is to protect the roots from being fried to bits by the exposed hot plastic. 🚿 Be aware that plants next to or close to a wall may receive radiant or other reflective heat during the day. This can create a space as much as 10 degrees hotter in some areas! While advantageous for sun-loving plants, this microclimate may be too intense for other plants. 🚿 The best defense for extreme weather is having healthy, established plants. Throughout the year it’s important to give them the right organic fertilizers, amendments, and seasonal pruning. When combined with a proper watering schedule, it’s smooth sailing! 🚿 Lastly, don’t forget to stay hydrated yourself and enjoy the garden! Want to learn more? Give us a call! We’d love to help.Fri, 21 Jul 2023 14:18:00 -0700http://www.earthdanceorganics.com/blog/post/controlling-apple-maggot-flies-with-clayhttp://www.earthdanceorganics.com/blog/post/controlling-apple-maggot-flies-with-clayWe’ve put together this video for a quick how-to on protecting your harvest from the Apple Maggot Fly. For those hungry for info, please see below for more details about this insect. Washington is a veritable apple country, that may be why the Apple Maggot fly went from being spotted in 2 counties in the 1980’s, to spreading to 20 counties total. This is largely due to infested fruit being moved around by people. In Washington, there are quarantine restrictions regulating this invasive species. If you don’t mind sharing your fruit, or if these flies are native to your area, you may want to leave them be - more power to you! But as a home gardener, if you’re wondering what you can do to prevent the Apple Maggot Fly from infesting your apples & gobbling them up before you do, read on. The adult version of the Apple Maggot Fly isn’t what’s eating your apples. Source: BugGuide.Net In the early summer the adults begin to emerge from the soil. They often leave and feed outside the orchard, in woody/bushy areas. We recommend using a sticky trap, like the one in our video, to detect if the adults are in your area. These traps are also handy to identify other possible critters that may be snacking on your plants. These traps can be found at local nurseries, or you can even make your own. It just needs to be bright yellow with a red dot in the middle, and to make it sticky. After the adults leave and feed, they come back and lay eggs just under the skin of the apples. Each female can lay hundreds of eggs, then these hungry babies turn your crisp apples to applesauce. The larvae are very small and difficult to see, but the fruit will appear dimpled. When the apples drop to the ground, the larvae transform into pupae and overwinter in the soil. The next year, the cycle begins again. To prevent the adults from turning your fruit crop into their nursery, we recommend spraying the fruit with kaolin clay. This not only discourages the apple maggot fly from laying future generations in your apples, but any other unwanted guests. The clay acts as a visual and physical repellent to insects. When you’re ready to eat your apples, the clay washes right off! Need help with organic pest management? Give us a call! We’d love to help. Earthdance Organics | (253) 927-2523 | info@earthdanceorganics.com Wed, 21 Jun 2023 08:20:00 -0700http://www.earthdanceorganics.com/blog/post/landscape-shrubs-with-edible-berrieshttp://www.earthdanceorganics.com/blog/post/landscape-shrubs-with-edible-berriesHave you been looking for a landscape shrub that is not only pleasing to the eye but also produces edible berries? With a vast array of shrubs to choose from, finding the right variety can be a little intimidating. Here we are highlighting two varieties - a blueberry and huckleberry - that will delight all year round. They are both decorative as well as versatile, attracting more wildlife and producing edible fruit. When choosing a berry-producing shrub, look for Vaccinium varieties. All berries in this group are edible with some tastier than others. These shrubs encompass a wide array of plants including blueberries, huckleberries, and cranberries, just to name a few. These two varieties perform well in the PNW and can make an excellent addition to your landscape. It’s not surprising that some Vaccinium shrubs are native to the PNW since they grow well in our naturally acidic soils. While they can tolerate partial shade, they will thrive in full sun producing more blossoms and fruit. Sunshine Blue Blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum ‘Sunshine Blue’) © Richie Steffen / Great Plant Picks The unique feature of ‘Sunshine Blue’ is that it's an evergreen displaying lovely foliage year round. In the spring, new foliage emerges with subtle shades of pink and purple. Summer months bring a continuous supply of delicious berries. This blueberry is worthy of your ornamental landscape beds, not just your garden. For more photos and descriptions, we recommend Great Plant Picks which highlights ornamental plants for our region. Evergreen Huckleberry (Vaccinium ovatum) © Richie Steffen / Great Plant Picks Evergreen Huckleberry is a native shrub to the PNW that has wonderful ornamental qualities. Its glossy foliage makes an excellent border hedge and an alternative to boxwood hedges. It produces diminutive, sweet berries with a showy display of flowers in the spring. It gets its name Vaccinium ovatum from its oval-shaped leaves. For more information, see the Great Plant Picks website. © Richie Steffen / Great Plant Picks Enhance your landscape with a berry-producing shrub. With the right placement and variety choice, you can enjoy an attractive shrub that offers edible fruit, attracts more wildlife, and displays beauty throughout the year. Tue, 28 Mar 2023 12:36:00 -0700http://www.earthdanceorganics.com/blog/post/rain-gardens-boost-water-qualityhttp://www.earthdanceorganics.com/blog/post/rain-gardens-boost-water-qualityThe recent surge in seasonal rainfall in the Pacific Northwest has caught everyone’s attention. Pollutants that are washed into Puget Sound are a real concern, especially because it impacts our marine wildlife. The good news is that you can make a difference right in your own backyard. By installing a rain garden, you can help filter stormwater runoff before it reaches the Sound. A rain garden is a depression that filters and cleans rainwater as it passes through specialized soils. This article from Urban@UW refers to rain gardens as “tiny water treatment facilities”. Many of our customers have experienced the fun of watching their rain gardens fill up during a rain event and then dissipate when the rain has stopped.Experts believe that even small rain gardens installed by homeowners can boost water quality. There's even a local movement in our state called Soils for Salmon, which provides resources and guidance for building healthy soils to protect dwindling salmon populations. Imagine the collective impact if everyone had a rain garden in their yard!If you’re ready to get started, Washington State’s ecology department has a Rain Garden Handbook that is a good resource. Rain gardens not only add beauty and interest to our landscapes they also protect our waterways for wildlife and future generations.Need help planning a rain garden for your landscape? Give us a call! We’d love to help.Earthdance Organics | (253) 927-2523 | info@earthdanceorganics.comWed, 22 Mar 2023 10:03:00 -0700