Localguideto sustainablegardening
Starthere
Thelocalecosystemdoesn’tknowpropertylines!Youryardorpatio,nomatterhowbigorsmall,canprotectour region’sbiodiversityandcountertheeffectsofclimatechange
Remember,youdon’thavetodoeverythingallatonce Convertingasmallpatchoflawnintoalow-mowarea withnativeplants,orevenasmallwindowboxisawonderfulwaytocontributetopreservingourlocalecosystem.
Plantingnative species Stormwater mitigation [Low] Maintainence
Thelocalfauna,including pollinators,haveadaptedto recognizeplantsthatarenative Plantingnativespecieshelps nourishthesehelpfulcreaturesand preserveourlocalbiodiversity
Therearenature-basedstrategies formanagingstormwaterrunoffto mitigateflooding Raingardensand downspoutplantershelpkeep rainwaterrunoffinthesoil,andoutof yourbasement
Whetheryouchoosetodoitall yourselforgetsomehelp, sometimes,lessismore Hereare somebestpracticeswhenlookingto maintainyourpropertymore sustainably
Native&InvasivePlants
Nativeplantsnourishpollinatorsandrequirelessmaintenanceandresourcesthanexoticplantsasthey haveadaptedtothisbioregion’sunique,fluctuating,climate Invasivespeciescomeandcolonizean ecosystem,whichcanhavearippleeffectand,atitsworst,canleadtoecosystemcollapse
Hereareafewcommonnativespeciestolookforandsomelocalplacestobuythem.
Echinacea)
Afavoriteofbeesandpeoplealike Thisbeautifulflowermakesforawonderful popofcolor(andcomesinvariousshades),whilebeingfairlydeerresistantdue toitsspikeycentercone Coneflowerspreferfullsunandwell-drainingsoil;they aredrought-tolerant
Itsassociationwithbutterflies comesfromthecolor,which attractsbutterfliesandpollinators, anditsabundantproductionof nectar Itprefersdry,sunnyspots andbloomsthroughoutthe summer!Primarilypollinatedby beesandwasps,itiscrucialtothe survivalofmonarchbutterflies
Coneflower(
ButterflyMilkweed (Asclepiastuberosa)
Removinginvasivespecies
Notallexoticplantsareinvasive Forexample,Tulips,whilenotnativetoNewJersey,donotspread On theotherhand,Bamboowillchokeoutnativeplantsandspreadexponentially Lookoutforthese commoninvasiveplantsandremovethemassoonasyouseethem onyourproperty.
TreeofHeaven
Plantingtomitigateflooding
NativeNJplantshavenotonlyadaptedtodroughtsbutalsotofloods Theycanhelpsoakup
Stormdrainsandpipesthatcollectstormwaterandtransferthisrunofftolocalwaterwaysaregray infrastructure Incontrast,greeninfrastructureutilizesnaturalplantingsandstructurestocapture,absorb, filterand/orreusestormwater.Greeninfrastructurepracticeshelptorestorethenaturalwatercyclewhich reducesdroughtsandpreventsflooding.Herearesomeexamples:
Downspoutplanters Rainbarrels Permeablepavement
Plantboxesinstalledatthebaseofa gutterdownspout.Theycapture waterforreusewhileshowcasing yourflowers.
Capturerainfall,typicallyfromaroof. Thiswatercanthenbereusedfor wateringgardensorwashing vehicles
Allowswatertoquicklypassthrough thepavementtoanunderlyinglayer thatallowsstorageuntilitisfully absorbed.Thisincludesporous asphalt,perviousconcrete,and interlockingpavers
Alow-point
Buildyourraingardeninanarea whererainwaterwillfeedintoitfrom downspouts,drivewaysorlow pointsinyouryard
Whatisa“raingarden”?
Raingardensutilizeashallowdepressionfilledwithnative plantstocaptureandfilterstormwater,providingbeautyand encouragingwildlife.
Learntodesignyourown
Nativeplants
Araingardenis plantedwithavariety ofnativeplants,grasses,forbsand otherherbaceousorwoodyplants
LearntodesignyourownraingardenfromTheRainGarden ManualofNewJerseyand/ortheRainGardenManualfor NewJersey UConn’sRainGardenappisanotherhelpfultool todesignandbuildaraingarden.
Overflowdrainage
Araingardenisnotaretention basin! Nostagnantwatershould remainatthebottomofthegarden
[Low]maintenance
Gettingtherighthelp
Youdon’thavetodoitalone Thereareagrowingnumberofsmall,locallandscapingbusinessesthatspecialize insustainablepropertymanagement.SustainablePrincetonkeepsanup-to-datelistofthelocallyregistered businessesandthesustainableservicestheyprovideonourwebsite.Municipalregistrationrequires landscapingbusinessestoshowproofofworkers’compensationinsurance,whichensureslaborersarepaidfor theirefforts CaringforEarthgoeshandinhandwithcaringforpeople
Goingelectric
Leavetheleaves
Youcanchoosetohirecrewsthatarecommittedtoexclusively usingelectricequipmentorrequestthatyourlandscaperuseelectric onyourproperty.Youcanalsochoosetoinvestinyourownelectric equipmentorborrowsomefromthefreeSPLendingLibrary
Mulchtheleavesrightintoyour lawnorjustleavethemwhere theyfall.Evenjustleavingsome isbetterforthesoilthanleaving nothingatall
Compostyardwaste
Ifyou’rehesitanttocompostfood scraps,youcanstartwithjustleaves andgardenclippings
ethinkthelawn
ducingthelawnsizemayseemlikealargetask,butthechanges bemadegraduallyoverseveralseasons.Bydrawingupayard n,changescanbemadebypriorityandastimeandresources w.Startwithareasoflawnwhichareleastused,andthosewhich hardesttomow(e g cornersoftheyard,beneathtreeswithlow branches).Reducingthesizeofyouryardhasseveralbenefits:
Reducedwaterconsumption
Lessyardwaste
Convertpartofyouryardintoa meadowbyplantingnativesthat supportpollinatorsandbirds.
Reductioninairandnoisepollution
Enhancedbiodiversity
Savetimemowing,reduce maintenanceemissions,andenjoy thebeautyoffloweringplantings.
Considercreatingpocketsofyour lawnthatareonlymowedonetotwo timesayearandallownativeplants andgrassestogrow.
Useyourlawnmowertomulchthe grassandleaveitonthelawnas fertilizer.Returningclippingstothe lawnwillrecyclenutrientstothesoil andgrassandalsoreducewaste.
