The James River Steward’s Almanac

Fall is the perfect time to landscape for the river.

Be a Friend of the River…choose native plants for your landscape.

Choosing native plants for the landscape around your home helps the environment (and you) in several important ways:

First, native plants evolved to live right where you live, which means that after you get them started, they can take care of themselves without extra watering or chemical assistance. Second, native plants help support native wildlife, who have themselves evolved to make good use of the plants that have always been around. Lastly, native plants are very unlikely to spread or become invasive, making them well-behaved citizens of your landscape and our ecosystem.

Learn More:

JRA’s Guide to Native Plants

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Be a Guardian of the River…plant a rain garden.  

Using plants to soak up extra stormwater runoff before it gets onto the streets, into the sewers, or into the river is a great idea. Runoff, or the water that moves over the surface of land into our waterways during storms, can pick up toxic chemicals, nutrients, and sediment along the way. Landscape features can help your property capture this runoff and let it soak into the ground. By creating swales with well-drained soil planted with moisture-loving plants, we can give the stormwater a place to slow down and soak in. That’s key for reducing the runoff pollution from the urban and suburban environment.

Learn more:
JRA’s Guide to Rain Gardens

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