8BL ❚ THURSDAY, JULY 4, 2019 ❚ THE RECORD
P
A SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION OF THE RECORD
Homescape
INTERIOR DESIGN ❚ HOME IMPROVEMENT
NATIVE PLANTS
Pollinator gardens bring
back bees and butterflies
Think of the garden as a habitat worth preserving
BY TERI GATTO
And while the decline of these essential
animals seems too vast for one individual
to make a difference, there are steps one
he news about the decline of native
can take to help slow it down. One of these
bees, butterflies, moths, bats and
is to use native plants in your garden.
other pollinator animals is alarming.
IT’S NOT ABOUT SIZE
The causes for this downward spiral
“No matter how small a native plant gar-
are many and include the continued loss
den might be, it will still be quite beneficial
of habitat, overuse of pesticides and herbi-
to pollinators – especially in heavily built
cides, diseases, and climate change.
areas,” said Don Torino, president of the
So, why should we worry about the
Bergen County Audubon Society. “Native
fate of these insects and other animals?
plant gardens help expand habitats such
According to the Natural Resources
as parks and nature centers by providing
Conservation Service, U.S. Department of
places for pollinators to rest and get food,
Agriculture, animals pollinate 75 percent of especially when they are migrating.”
plants grown throughout the world for food
According to Torino, in order to help
and medicine.
bring back pollinators we have to learn how
to garden differently.
“We have to look at our
gardens as habitats rather
than perfect little lawn
decorations,” he said.
“Then we will start to
understand how to help
the pollinators.”
And while not everyone
has a green thumb, with a
little bit of research even
a novice gardener can
create a habitat that is a
joy to pollinators.
“We don’t want people
to get overwhelmed and
believe that they have
to dig up their current
garden and start a totally
new native garden,”
PHOTO COURTESY OF DON TORINO/BERGEN COUNTY AUDUBON SOCIETY
said Donna Dorsey, a
Butterfly and Native Garden at Overpeck Park, Bergen County. skilled Master Gardener
SPECIAL TO HOMESCAPE
T
STOCK & CUSTOM CABINETS
and owner of Goffle Farm
and Garden Center in
Ridgewood. “You don’t have
to start huge because every
little bit helps. My cousin is
a landscaper and he recom-
mended that if a non-native AUDUBON BUTTERFLY WALK — The New Jersey
in your garden is sickly or
State Botanical Garden invites the public to a
dies, you should take the
Butterfly Walk at the NJBG on Sunday, July 14, at 1
opportunity to replace it with p.m. Midsummer is a great time to watch butterflies.
a native bush.”
The Bergen County Audubon Society will lead this
easy walk in the Botanical Garden and surrounding
NATIVES ARE
fields to look for and identify the butterflies of NJBG.
A WIN-WIN
Meet at the Carriage House Visitor Center in the
Bruce Crawford, direc-
tor of the Rutgers Gardens, New Jersey State Botanical Garden, Morris Road,
Ringwood State Park, Ringwood. The program is free.
explains that native plants
help support the diversity of For more information, visit njbg.org.
insects and animals native to
a region. “These plants provide not
have expectations that you are going
only food in the form of nectar, pollen or
to find exactly what you are looking for,”
foliage, they also make available habitats
she said. “Be open-minded and flexible with
for the insects to live, deposit egg masses,
your lists.”
or overwinter.”
Organizations such as your local
Another positive of using natives is that
Native Plant Society, Audubon Society,
once established, they can make gardening
Master Gardeners, New Jersey Bee
a breeze.
Keepers Association, North American
“Natives are going to adapt to your soil,
Butterfly Association, and National Wildlife
so there are fewer issues with fertilizing
Federation provide lists of pollinator plants.
and pests; when you put the right natives in Some of these organizations may also have
the right areas gardening becomes a much
annual native plant sales that will offer
easier process,” said Torino.
high-quality plants at affordable prices.
In addition, many natives require less
According to Crawford, there are also
watering and they are often deer-resistant.
non-native plants that are garden and
To attract the most pollinators, select
pollinator friendly. “Hellebores and witch-
natives that offer an abundance of pollen
hazels bloom in winter and provide flow-
and nectar. Include plants in a range of
ers, prominent bark or interesting form to
shapes, sizes and colors that bloom at dif-
a garden, often during a time of the year
ferent times of the year – especially early
when other plants are dormant,” he noted.
spring through late fall.
“The key is to seek out plants that are not
Also, skip the mulch and avoid cleaning
invasive and can effectively be combined
up your garden at the end of summer.
with our native plants.”
“The worst thing you can do to pollina-
tors is to be a tidy gardener,” explained
Torino. “If you are raking up your leaves, or
you are cutting bushes back, you are get-
ting rid of your pollinators by getting rid of
the places that they overwinter and getting
rid of food sources.”
A GOOD NATIVE
CAN BE HARD TO FIND
he average household spends $2,000
“The only negative about planting
a year on utility bills, with nearly half
natives is that they can be difficult to find
going to cooling and heating the
and you might not have much diversity in
home. The U.S. EPA’s Energy Star Program
your choices,” said Dorsey.
offers resources to help consumers save
Finding plants that are native to one’s
energy, save money and protect the climate.
specific geographical area can be challeng-
Biggest bang for your buck — seal and
ing. Local garden centers may have a lim-
insulate: Save up to $200 a year. Sealing
ited number of natives that they augment
air leaks around your house and adding
with cultivars – plant varieties that have
insulation can help make your home more
been altered by selective breeding. For
comfortable and energy efficient.
example, a native might have small, pale
Level up your energy savings with
yellow flowers but through selective breed- your HVAC: A dirty air filter will make the
ing the cultivar might have flowers that are system work harder to keep you cool, wast-
larger and a vibrant yellow.
ing energy. They should be inspected once
“If it’s a cultivar, the name of the plant
a month during heavy-use periods.
will be in script on the label,” said Dorsey.
Get smart about the thermostat
“But unfortunately, sometimes labels are
that is controlling your HVAC: A smart
not as informative as they could be so con-
thermostat is Wi-Fi enabled and can auto-
sumers need to do the research and edu-
matically adjust temperature settings for
cate themselves.”
optimal performance. Smart thermostats
Dorsey recommended that you don’t
that earn the Energy Star label are inde-
start off with a list of the plants you want,
pendently certified, based on actual field
because you will become frustrated. “Don’t data, to save energy.
-- NAPS
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