Community Corner

Landscape the Sustainable Way

Hillsborough group BoroGreen and the library will show you how.

If you haven't started paying attention to your yard and landscaping, chances are you will be soon. Hillsborough group BoroGreen wants to show you how to do a great job while preserving the environment.

The grassroots group committed to building a sustainable community is partnering with the for a workshop on sustainable landscaping. It will be presented in three different parts on May 12 from noon to 2 p.m. in Program Room B.

The talks will be given by Clare Liptak, who will address "Native Plants for More Vibrant Landscapes," Jeremiah Bergstrom, who will present "Rain Gardens to Solve Flooding Issues," and Judd Mandell, who will cover "Sustainable Landscaping."  To register go to the library’s registration page.

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The following are short summaries of what you can expect:

  • Rain gardens are specifically designed to manage stormwater runoff, mainly from rooftops, but also from driveways, lawns, roads, and parking lots. Rain gardens look like regular perennial gardens, but they are much more. During a storm, a rain garden fills with water, and the water slowly filters into the ground rather than running into storm sewers. Compared to a patch of lawn, a rain garden allows about 30 percent more water to soak into the ground. Therefore, by capturing stormwater, rain gardens help to reduce nonpoint source pollution (i.e., road sediment/salt, fertilizers, pesticides, bacteria from pet waste, eroded soil, grass clippings, litter, etc.) and help to protect local waterways. Rain gardens also add beauty to neighborhoods and provide wildlife habitat. Last year, the township created a rain garden in the Prall Road detention basin with the help of Boy Scouts and BoroGreen volunteers. Jeremiah Bergstrom is a licensed Landscape Architect with the Rutgers Cooperative Extension Water Resources Program that specializes in designing stormwater management systems that use native vegetation to remove pollution and enhance the aesthetic. He will present information on how rain gardens can be incorporated into existing landscapes and how existing stormwater systems such as detention basins can be converted into rain gardens.
  • Native plants are well suited to New Jersey landscapes because they have grown here for thousands of years and are well adapted to our soils and climate. Compared to exotic, introduced plants, they also have a more subtle benefit. Native insects feed upon native plants and are in turn eaten by native birds which is a natural web of life. The exotic plants disrupt this natural web of life because they are not a natural source of food. Native plants are attractive and resilient and make for a vibrant landscape. During extreme climate conditions, native plants have a greater chance of thriving than exotic plants in drought or flooding conditions. This presentation is led by Clare S. Liptak, retired horticulturist and Agricultural Agent of the Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Somerset County.
  • Proper planning and foresight will help produce a landscape requiring less maintenance time and cost, no need for pesticides or herbicides, and provide you with more time to enjoy your yard. Learn to protect your home’s footprint, create more usable space, and have a sustainable landscape. This presentation is led by Judd Mandell, owner of Landscape Better.

– Submitted by BoroGreen.

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