Green Tips Archives - Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Asheville

The Fall Garden

UUAvl-WebAdmin — Thu, 30 Oct 2025 21:37:12 +0000

As the light softens and the days grow shorter, the garden enters a quieter, more contemplative season. Fall invites both gardeners and landscapes to slow down, to shift from growth to renewal. Yet, even in this season of decline, the principles of sustainability are alive and essential. The choices we make in autumn—how we clean up, plant, and prepare—shape the health of the garden and the planet in the months to come.

Sustainability begins with seeing the garden as an ecosystem, not a display. Rather than clearing away every leaf and cutting back every plant, fall offers the chance to work with nature’s rhythms. We leave the leaves as mulch to enrich the soil and shelter insects and pollinators throughout the winter. The standing stems and seedheads you see provide beauty and habitat, feeding birds and protecting beneficial insects. What might look “messy” is actually the quiet work of life continuing beneath the surface.

Ultimately, fall sustainability is about shifting perspective—from maintenance to stewardship. The garden doesn’t end with the first frost; it simply changes form. Each seed that falls, each leaf that decomposes, each creature that finds shelter in a hollow stem contributes to the continuity of life. By tending thoughtfully in autumn, we nurture not just next year’s blooms but the long-term balance of our shared environment.

–Kate Jerome

The post The Fall Garden appeared first on Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Asheville.

New Series: Notes from the Garden with Kate

UUAvl-WebAdmin — Tue, 02 Aug 2022 14:56:02 +0000

Hello, one and all! My name is Kate Jerome and, along with Venny Zachritz, I am taking an active role in managing the landscape of the UUA campus. I’m so excited to share with everyone our plans to turn our already beautiful landscape into a sustainably managed one.

We will be making a few changes, adding plants, and generally making the landscape into an educational resource for the congregation and the surrounding community. This landscape will become one in which there is even more beauty, that sustains pollinators and wildlife, and needs less and less input to keep it beautiful.

Over the next few weeks, I’ll be sharing with you the basic principles of this type of landscape management as well as keeping you abreast of the changes and additions we and our wonderful landscape group will be making.

If you are interested in talking with me further or have questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me (katejerome2020@gmail.com). Or even better, come volunteer with our landscape group on the first and third Saturdays of the month, 9-11 am.

The post New Series: Notes from the Garden with Kate appeared first on Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Asheville.

Trash For Now

uuasheville — Thu, 24 Jun 2021 16:19:02 +0000

Microwave containers are NOT recyclable in Asheville. The material, #5 polypropylene, requires high heat for reprocessing.

The post Trash For Now appeared first on Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Asheville.

Bee Vigilant!

uuasheville — Thu, 17 Jun 2021 15:06:56 +0000

Read labels of products you use in your landscape. Avoid products containing neonics. These are chemicals that are lethal to bees. FMI: BeeAction.org.

The post Bee Vigilant! appeared first on Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Asheville.

Go Native

uuasheville — Thu, 10 Jun 2021 15:05:51 +0000

Replace turf grass with native species of grass. Native lawns use fewer resources and improve the habitat for wildlife. Check with local garden centers and native nurseries for information on native grass species.

The post Go Native appeared first on Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Asheville.

Backyard Composting Tips

uuasheville — Thu, 03 Jun 2021 15:04:17 +0000

Watch an instructional and entertaining video from Asheville Greenworks.

The post Backyard Composting Tips appeared first on Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Asheville.

Reel Mowers Are Better for Your Lawn

uuasheville — Thu, 27 May 2021 15:02:36 +0000

Reel mowers leave a sharp snip off the grass blades while the engine-powered mowers tear tops off the blades and weaken the grass over time.

The post Reel Mowers Are Better for Your Lawn appeared first on Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Asheville.

Pick-up After Fido

uuasheville — Thu, 20 May 2021 15:00:24 +0000

Pet waste (cat & dog) is bacteria -laden. Scoop it up to keep it out of the storm drains.

The post Pick-up After Fido appeared first on Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Asheville.

Drive Thrus Are a No-No

uuasheville — Thu, 13 May 2021 13:37:09 +0000

Avoid using “drive-thrus.” Help keep those unhealthy emissions created by car idling out of the atmosphere.

The post Drive Thrus Are a No-No appeared first on Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Asheville.

Get A Grip

uuasheville — Thu, 06 May 2021 13:35:54 +0000

Get a good grip on the gas cap. After fueling your car, tighten the gas cap well to prevent evaporation of gas. If the cap is not on tightly, you could lose as much as 30 gallons/year!

The post Get A Grip appeared first on Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Asheville.