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Otsego County Alternative Landscaping Demonstration Garden & Conservation Forest Landscaping with Native Plants The community garden is made possible by the generosity of many supportive organizations and volunteers. Thank you! Seniors enjoying gardening in the raised garden beds Flowers blooming in the Friendship Garden The Children’s Garden Come discover the garden! An equal opportunity provider and employer. Home Compost Demonstration Site This site shows people how to compost kitchen scraps and yard trimmings in their backyards. It: Displays a variety of compost bins, from cheap and simple to costly and complex. Provides handouts on how to compost and recycling information for Otsego County. Can be explored through a self-guided tour or through workshops provided by the OCD. Benefits of Composting Organic material in compost improves soils, increasing garden health and production. Compost helps retain moisture in sandy soils, also contributing to plant health. Home composting decreases the amount of waste sent to landfills. Decreased waste can save individuals money in garbage removal. Otsego Conservation District 800 Livingston Blvd., Suite 4A Gaylord, MI 49735 (989) 732-4021 www.otsego.org/conservationdistrict The demonstration site is maintained by the Otsego Conservation District and supported in part by the Otsego Wildlife Legacy Society (OWLS), the Lowe’s Heroes Volunteer Program, and Huron Pines AmeriCorps. For more information call the Otsego Conservation District (OCD) at (989) 732-4021. ---PAGE BREAK--- What are native plants? Plants are considered native to a region if they occur there naturally, without humans intro- ducing them. Over thousands of years plants develop a certain niche in an ecosystem and help to support other organisms in the area. How are they beneficial? Fertilizers and chemi- cals used on lawns and crops can percolate through the soil and reach our groundwa- ter, lakes and streams. This can cause eutro- phication, which can result in excess algae growth and decreased oxygen levels in the water. This makes the body of water both unappealing to recreation- ists and uninhabitable for some fish species and other aquatic organisms. Native plants are often used in greenbelts or buffers along shorelines to help protect water quality. They have extensive root systems that allow them to: reduce flooding reduce soil erosion help filter out contaminants Natives are lower maintenance! Native plants have adapted to the conditions in Michigan and are more tolerant of our weather patterns. Because of this, native plants: require less watering require less fertilizer need no mowing Remember that natives are not maintenance free. For a planting to be successful it is important to: place plants according to their site preferences remove any invasive or weedy species water young plants to get them established Map of the Demonstration Garden Legend Children’s Garden Senior and Raised Garden Beds Pergola Native Flower Gardens Herb Garden Apple Trees Garden Legend McLouth Road Cross Street Location: From M-32, take Old 27 North to Livingston Blvd., turn right on Livingston Blvd., then right at the first street on your right. Continue past Cross Street and the garden entrance is directly to your right. If you would like more information or have a group that would like a tour, please call the Otsego Conservation District. Garden Entrance and Parking Children’s Garden Apple Trees Native Grass and Wildflower Planting Native Flower Gardens Pergola Senior and Raised Garden Beds Native Plants Greenhouse Composting Demonstration Site Herb Garden Rose Garden Perennial Gardens Hummingbird Garden Friendship Garden Native Wetland Plants Native plants benefit water quality!