Stuck at home? Help the environment from your yard

With so many stuck at home, thanks to spread of the coronavirus, horticulturalists and environmentalists say now is the time to do something great for the environment — by replanting yards with native flowers, shrubs and trees.

Many people do not consider their yards as a potential animal habitat, said Britta Wenzel, executive director of the environmental organization Save Barnegat Bay.

"I can hear the birds in the morning and the evening," she said. "They’re looking for food."

Yet, birds and other animals are unable to eat or find environments suitable for breeding among the ornamental plants and homogenized lawns common in yards throughout New Jersey, Wenzel said.

Such lawns cover a sprawling 40 million acres of the United States and act as food deserts for migrating wildlife, according to the National Audubon Society, a bird advocacy organization.

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But gardening with native plants is one way to feed those migrating birds, as well as a wide variety of butterflies, beneficial insects and animals throughout the region, according to the U.S. Forest Service.

Michelle Keegan, a horticulturalist at Ocean County-owned tree nursery on Stump Tavern Road in Jackson, said many flowering native New Jersey plants are favorites among pollinating insects and birds.

Bee balms, which bloom in New Jersey between June and August, draw pollinating insects like bees and butterflies.

"They’re very fragrant, so hummingbirds love them," Keegan said.

Black-eye Susans, which resemble daisies, also attract birds and beneficial insects, she said. Aptly-named "butterfly weed" will draw those colorful, flying insects as well, she said.

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Keegan said typical lawns — as well as providing little benefit to insects and birds — are expensive and time consuming to maintain.

"You would save time and money if everyone created bigger areas of flowers," she said.

"They (native plants) have built in traits that help them thrive in their habitat," said Keegan. "It’s great for the environment and it’s great for your wallet, because they’re already hardy for New Jersey’s conditions.”

The benefits of native gardens extend beyond the animals and bugs that live among them.

Native plants often have deep roots that pull storm runoff into the soil, thereby preventing rain from washing pollutants into streams and rivers, said Wenzel, of Save Barnegat Bay.

Native plants also need no fertilizer and fewer pesticides than ornamental vegetation, so are better for the environment, according to the U.S. Forest Service.

Before beginning a gardening project, consider the unique soil and environmental conditions around your region, say experts. Plants that grow well in rich North Jersey soils may do poorly in the sandy, acidic soils of the Jersey Shore and Pine Barrens, for example.

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“Native plants over thousands of years have evolved to live here naturally, in harmony with other things, the soil, the land, the creatures, the atmosphere, the temperature and humidity. They don’t require a lot of extra effort," said Wenzel.

But Bruce Crawford, director of Rutgers Gardens, said considerations like sun, soil quality, soil acidity and drainage are all important factors to consider when picking plants for a yard.

Crawford recommends plants like Doll's eyes, also known as white baneberry, in northern New Jersey's richer soil, because their white berries and magenta stems make an attractive visual in autumn. The plants are also naturally deer resistant, he said.

Blue star amsonia is another choice for New Jersey yards, said Crawford. “It has wonderful yellow fall color that lasts for 6-plus weeks," he added.

Wenzel recommends growing hardy and drought-tolerant yucca plants or prickly pear cactus in the sandy soils of the Pine Barrens, while Keegen suggests the hardy beach plum bushes with their dark-purple berries.

"Right now, a lot of the nurseries, well you can’t really walk in there and pick out plants anymore (because of social distancing requirements)," Keegan said.

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The Rutgers Cooperative Extension county offices are a great resource for homeowners who want to plant native vegetation customized to their region of New Jersey, Crawford said. 

The website for the High Line park in New York City, a former elevated railway line turned garden and public park, is another resource for prospective gardeners looking for suggestions on native plants, said Keegan, of Ocean County's tree nursery.

The website www.jerseyyards.org is another place to research native plants and find information, she said.

Many plant nurseries in New Jersey remain open, despite current government restrictions on businesses, and are taking orders for pickup, Keegan said.

Crawford, of Rutgers Gardens, also suggests doing research before picking out plants.

"You should always know what the plant prefers," he said. 

The trick to any gardening project, whether planting native vegetation or ornamental shrubs and flowers, is to start with a soil test, said Crawford.

"See what the fertility is, pH, that’s a good place to start," he said. "Then look at the general environment. Is it well drained?.. Do you have a lot of deer?”

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All of these factors help decide what plants will thrive in a yard's unique conditions, Crawford said.

"There’s a lot of really good-looking native plants for New Jersey gardens," he said.

Wenzel said New Jersey's efforts to promote indigenous plants extend beyond individual yards and have even been put into state law. The Garden State is one of the few in the nation that require state money be used to buy native vegetation.

Since 2017, all replanting for construction projects along New Jersey highways must be done with native plants.

"It’s a major game changer for a lot of (taxpayer) dollars, and potentially large pieces of the ecosystem," Wenzel said.

Amanda Oglesby is an Ocean County native who covers Brick, Barnegat and Lacey townships as well as the environment. She has worked for the Press for more than a decade. Reach her at @OglesbyAPP, aoglesby@gannettnj.com or 732-557-5701.