Smart Landscapes Videos
Roof Garden
Here’s a neat gardening challenge for you: Growing plants -- on a roof. Roof gardens have actually been
around for centuries, and they do a lot of good things for the environment, including reducing flooding, reducing urban heat temperatures, increasing building energy efficiency,
and a host of other benefits.
In this video, we will show you how we recently constructed a small green roof over the porch area of an outdoor storage shed.
Drought-Tolerant Landscapes
If watering your garden during the hot dry summer months is a problem, you might consider planting a drought-tolerant garden next year. Drought-tolerant landscapes, also known as xeriscapes, feature plants that need little water.
In this video we’ll show you how to make a xeriscape garden, to help get rid of the sparsely growing lawn In this Mississippi front yard.
Pollinator Gardens
How to Make a Bug Hotel
This video will show you how to make a bug hotel. Bug hotels, like these, will encourage good garden bugs to winter in the garden by giving them a place to hibernate and nest over the colder months, so they’ll ready to help in the spring.
Toad Abodes
Toads are a familiar sight in many Mississippi landscapes, and can be encouraged to take up residence in your garden by creating miniature houses or “toad abodes.” These beneficial amphibians are a welcome addition to the home garden as they eat a wide variety of insects and small invertebrates.
Publications
News
Participants in a Mississippi State University landscape symposium learned tips for preserving the life in their own backyards and contributing positively to the larger, regional ecosystem. The 66th Edward C. Martin Landscape Symposium was held Oct. 20 at MSU.
BILOXI, Miss. -- Coastal restoration has been a hot topic along the Gulf of Mexico coast for many years now.
One clear aspect of coastal restoration is that it’s a team effort that requires not only the coast, but entire watersheds. From reducing excess fertilizer usage and litter to increasing low-effort natural landscaping and pervious surfaces, there are many actions we can take anywhere to help restoration of coastal ecosystems.
An annual Mississippi State University landscape symposium promotes the idea that landscapes can be both pretty and sustainable, beautifying the environment while protecting ecosystems.
If there’s one thing all Mississippians can agree on, it’s that the summer sun can be brutal. I enjoy spending time on my back patio, but it’s hard to enjoy without shade. I’ve noticed several restaurants, parks, and pools have installed shade sails to provide shade to visitors. Why not install one in your own back yard?
The Mississippi State University Extension Service is leading a research project aimed at enhancing pollinator habitat in managed turfgrass of the Southeast.
Success Stories
See what's new in Extension: a new monarch garden, a storytelling series will begin, the Garden Expo highlights Extension education, and Keep America Beautiful recognizes MSU Extension.
