HILLSBOROUGH: Workshops to describe sustainable landscaping

   Three presentations on sustainable landscaping will be held Saturday, May 12, from noon to 2 p.m. in Program Room B at the Hillsborough Public Library.
   The talks are 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.
   BoroGreen, a grassroots group committed to building a sustainable community, is partnering with the library to present the workshop.
   Mr. 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 aesthetics. He will talk about how rain gardens can be incorporated into landscapes and how stormwater systems, such as detention basins, can be converted into rain gardens.
   Rain gardens are 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 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. By capturing stormwater, rain gardens help to reduce nonpoint source pollution (i.e., road sediment and 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.
   Ms. Liptak, retired horticulturist and agricultural agent of the Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Somerset County, will talk about native plants, which are suited to New Jersey landscapes because they have grown here for thousands of years and are well adapted to soils and climate.
   Native insects feed upon native plants and are in turn eaten by native birds. 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 drought or flooding conditions.
   Mr. Mandell, owner of Landscape Better, will discuss how planning and foresight will help produce a landscape requiring less maintenance time and cost, while also negating the need for pesticides or herbicides.