Conservation Landscaping

In 2015, Glen Waye Gardens Condominiums and Bethesda Green undertook three major methods to reduce Glen Waye's stormwater runoff: a reforestation project in which 60 native trees were planted, the installation of 6 concrete pads and rainwater collection cisterns, and conservation landscaping that added 23 shrubs, 592 perennials, and 254 grasses to the area. A $32,000 grant from the Chesapeake Bay Trust through the Montgomery County Water Quality Protection Fund, administered by the Montgomery County Department of Environmental Protection, supported the work, with Glen Waye Garden Condominiums as recipient, Bethesda Green as grantee, and Montgomery County RainScapes and Tree Montgomery as partners. The conservation landscaping installed 600 square feet of landscaping as well as groundcover for the reforestation plan. Storing water for later reduces watering costs for the community and lowers landscape maintenance costs, while using native plants helps provide food and habitat for local wildlife and encourages biodiversity because invasive plants reduce biodiversity and often replace important native species. About 85 percent of invasive woody plant species in the U.S. were introduced for landscape or ornamental use, and about 5,000 species have escaped into natural ecosystems.

Glenmont, Maryland · United States