Gardening and Barnegat Bay

Using hardy, native plants will save YOU money, time AND help the environment.  What's not to like?

Writing about gardening in January seems a bit odd, except here in New Jersey where Governor Chris Christie has recently signed landmark legislation to set into motion the strictest regulations on using fertilizers.  The fertilizer industry actually thinks that this legislation, initially targeting Barnegat Bay, with statewide implications, will be the example that other states will follow.  

Conservation groups and county and state government agencies trying to protect Barnegat Bay are asking people to cut back on their use of fertilizers, garden chemicals and lawn sprinkling; so the time seems perfect for a new landscaping style that saves homeowners money and frustration, and could help save the bay from an escalating flood of nutrient pollution.

The "Bayscape for Barnegat Bay" project aims to get homeowners acquainted with the concept of using hardy, native plants in landscaping without need for heavy watering, fertilizing and chemical treatments that can pollute the bay.   The project is sponsored by the American Littoral Society with funding from the Barnegat Bay Partnership, which coordinates research and conservation efforts on the bay and its 660-square mile watershed.  

Over the last nine months, the society organized workshops and presentations to local community groups and a native plants sale during the Barnegat Bay Festival at Island Heights in June.

Bayscape for Barnegat promotes gardening that that is designed for low maintenance and features many grasses and species that thrive in the sandiest of soils for a natural, seaside look.

The hope is that folks will be inspired to help reduce polluted runoff going into Barnegat Bay by planting these types of gardens in their yards. If you don't live in the Barnegat Bay watershed, these plants will thrive in most areas of Ocean County and will help improve a waterway near you.  For a list of native plant suppliers visit www.littoralsociety.org/shore_stewards.aspx.  For more information contact The American Littoral Society.

Karl Hess, Your Jersey Shore Real Estate Expert