Low labor day

Tired of spending your days watering, weeding and fertilizing your yard? Remove non-native, invasive plants and replace them with natives. You'll save time, money and attract wildlife to your yard.

Remove these common invasive plants:

• Garlic Mustard
• Japanese Knotweed
• Himalayan Blackberry
• English Ivy
• Scotch Broom

Try these natives instead:

• Red-flowering Currant
• Bleeding Heart
• Oxalis
• Wild Ginger
• Mock-orange

Peddle the Tualatin River

Before summer's over, discover the Tualatin River from a different angle—your bike. The following regional trails and bike paths take you over the river and through the neighborhood.

Fanno Creek Greenway Trail - Commuting corridor between Tualatin, Durham, Tigard, Beaverton and the central city.

Rock Creek Greenway Trail - Path runs along Rock Creek in Hillsboro, connects to parks and employment centers.

Ki-a-Kuts Bridge - Crosses over the Tualatin River and provides a link between Tigard's Cook Park and Tualatin's Community Park and the Durham City Park.

Tualatin River Greenway Trail - This trail along the Tualatin River in Tualatin can get you to work or play.

Bike There! - Metro's guide to bicycle-friendly streets and bike paths around the Portland metro area is available for $6.

Soil CPR

Good soil is the base for a healthy yard and garden. Healthy soil requires less water and fewer chemicals. If your soil needs a little TLC, compost and mulch may be the key.

• Add homemade compost to your soil at planting time to retain water and give nutrients to plants.
• Organic mulch—aged manure, bark chips and wood chips—cover and cool soil, minimizing evaporation, erosion and weed growth.

To get more yard and garden tips visit the Regional Coalition for Clean Rivers and Streams website.