Native Landscaping Business Offers Ecological Benefits and Natural Beauty

A new native landscaping company has recently started up in Madison. Rain gardening and native landscaping are a growing trend nationally, and the trend is growing right here in Madison.

"More and more people are talking about native landscaping every day; now just seems like the right time to go for it." says Frank Hassler, owner of Good Oak LLC, based in Madison.

Hassler, who has worked and volunteered in the field of ecological restoration for almost 15 years says his motivation for starting this business is a conservation effort. "I got interested in native landscaping because I think we need more places for our native plants to live. I have been working to restore natural areas for many years, but our natural areas are so small compared to the land that is used by people, there's just not enough space for our wildlife to survive in the long-term."

Landscaping with native plants has ecological benefits beyond that of just providing habitat for rare plants. Since they are adapted to local conditions, they don't need watering, fertilizers, or pesticide applications. That alone is a boon for water quality, but native plants can also help water infiltrate into the soil which reduces water pollution from stormwater run-off and promotes the recharging of our ground water supplies. Because native plants don't need mowing and regular maintenance they cut down on air pollution too. According to the U.S. EPA, lawn equipment produces up to 5% of the nation's air pollution overall, and up to 30% of the air pollution in urban areas.

We're not just talking about a prairie patch in the back yard." said Hassler, "Native plants can be used in fairly formal designs that can add beauty to the front yard too. And there are a lot of practical uses for native plants, such as rain gardens, shoreline plantings and erosion control."

Hassler admits that the initial cost of landscaping with native plants is often higher than traditional landscaping, but with the reduced need for maintenance the costs tend to balance out over time. "So you have to consider the long term costs, and you have to consider the value of wildlife, clean air and water and natural beauty."

Hassler has big goals for the small firm, which also provides ecological restoration and ecological restoration services: "Right now most people don't know where to find native plants outside of the Friends of the Arboretum's one-day native plant sale each May. Within a few years I plan to open up a retail nursery where native plants will be available for purchase throughout the growing season."

For additional information on native landscaping, contact Frank Hassler at (608) 209-0607 or visit www.goodoakllc.com

About Good Oak LLC: Good Oak LLC provides native landscaping, ecological consulting and ecological restoration services in southern Wisconsin and northern Illinois.