Sustainable Landscaping – Page 2 – Sustainable Ewing Green Team

Kick the Habit: A Dirty Dozen of Common Gardening Bad Habits You Need to Kick

August 4, 2023Leave a comment

From the EGT’s Sustainable Landscaping Series, “The Ecological Benefits of the Not So Perfect Yard”

Bad Habit #9 – Not Being Waterwise

As our drought across great swaths of our country last summer makes clear, water conservation efforts are critical. We frequently go from one extreme to another: either too much or not enough. Acres of water guzzling lawn, non-native plant species, inappropriate watering habits, all contribute to water scarcity issues. Excessive impervious cover contributes to stormwater runoff which leads to water pollution and undercharged groundwater tables.
KICK THE HABIT

Reduce storm water runoff and keep our waters clean with the installation of green infrastructure including reducing impervious surfaces, grading all areas away from your house at a gentle slope, and capturing rainwater on site by installing rain gardens/barrels. Your goal should be to keep as much rainwater on site as possible.

Remove as much lawn as possible and replace it with gardens filled with native plants. Irrigate only when necessary but do keep in mind that even native plants need supplemental water as they get established (during the first 2 years). Be sure to mulch properly but remember that green mulch is the best mulch. Choose the right plant for the right place, matching your planting choice with the site conditions.

RESOURCES

Rutgers Rain Garden Manual – step-by-step procedure you need to create a beautiful and sustainable rain garden landscape on your property. http://water.rutgers.edu/Rain_Gardens/RGWebsite/RainGardenManualofNJ.html
Rutgers Build a Rain Barrel – instructions – http://water.rutgers.edu/Stormwater_Management/rainbarrelbrochure.pdf
Rutgers Green Infrastructure Guidance Manual – http://water.rutgers.edu/Green_Infrastructure_Guidance_Manual/2015-03-31_Manual.compressed.pdf
Watering Tips from the EPA – Tips from timing to irrigation efficiency. https://www.epa.gov/watersense/watering-tips
What to Plant – From the EPA – choose plants that are defined as low water use or drought tolerant for your area. These plant species will be able to survive in your climate with minimal, if any, need for supplemental watering once established.
Lawns – Natural Lawn Care Tips from the EPA – https://archive.epa.gov/wastes/conserve/tools/greenscapes/web/html/owners.html#natural
What to Plant – From the EPA – https://www.epa.gov/watersense/what-plant
Jersey Friendly Yards – filled with great resources for environmentally friendly yard management.

Kick the Habit: A Dirty Dozen of Common Gardening Bad Habits You Need to Kick

May 15, 2023Leave a comment

Bad Habit #4: Lawns

Lawns are not native. They do not provide food or habitat for wildlife. They take up huge swaths of the country (over 40 million areas). They require the application of ecologically harmful chemicals to maintain a pristine expanse of weed-free turf, as well as regular watering. They also require weekly cutting with gas guzzling and pollution emitting equipment. Many homeowners still bag the grass clippings, depriving lawns of valuable nutrients and adding to the solid waste stream.

KICK THE HABIT We recommend that you remove some of your lawn to provide wildlife habitat and leave your clippings on the lawn. For more information about grasscycling see Ewing’s Department of Public Works brochure on the topic webpage (and brochure) on this topic.

Kick the Habit: A Dirty Dozen of Common Gardening Bad Habits You Need to Kick

May 10, 2023Leave a comment

From the EGT’s Sustainable Landscaping Series, “The Ecological Benefits of the Not So Perfect Yard”

Bad Habit #3: Planting Non-native Plants

Plants that have been introduced to an area from other regions of the county, other countries, or even continents are known as exotic, or alien, because they are not native to that area. While many gardeners don’t give the origin of the plants that they purchase much thought, their source is actually quite important. This is because native plants co-evolved with insects that they can support which is critical for maintaining the food web. Non-natives do not, so they do not feed the butterflies, moths and bees, and other wildlife the way natives will.

Also, native plants have adapted for the local environment. Non-native plants have not. Thus, they require additional inputs, such as fertilizer, water, … to make a good showing. This can lead to excess fertilizer runoff and water pollution, expensive and wasteful irrigation, and other costs. This makes them worse for the local environments.

Some have also become invasive because they do not have the insects, disease, predators, and other natural controls in their new home that would prevent them from becoming invasive in their natural habitat.

KICK THE HABIT Plant natives (TO YOUR SPECIFIC AREA) to support the local food web, that are adapted to the local environment and require fewer inputs.

To learn more about plants that are local to our area check the New Jersey Native Plant Society website for their list of plants page. The page contains lists from the USDA Plants Database which is the most comprehensive and up-to-date source for native plant information. It also contains lists of native trees and vascular plants by county. Another useful tool is the lists of natives for various garden conditions or purposes such as deep shade, dry shade, wet sites, deer resistant… And finally, don’t forget to check out their lists of invasive plants.