A Morris Township Environmental Commission panel on sustainable landscaping urged homeowners to reduce lawn area, plant native host and nectar plants, and keep fallen leaves and standing stems as habitat for insects and birds.

Bianca Wright, a landscape designer and gardener of 30 years, told the audience ecology-based gardening centers on plant choice and timing. "Plant them and they will come," she said, describing how host plants such as orange milkweed drew monarch caterpillars within a year. Wright recommended using resources such as the Native Plant Society of New Jersey, the National Wildlife Federation and ZIP-code plant-finder tools to match host plants and pollinators. She advised avoiding nursery-sold invasive species and using layered planting (structural shrubs, seasonal perennials, green groundcover as “green mulch”) so beds look intentional while supporting wildlife.

Bridget Daly, a Madison Environmental Commission member and certified Rutgers environmental steward, said keeping leaves and plant stems in place provides winter cover for bumblebee queens, food and overwintering sites for moth and butterfly larvae and year-round food for birds. "When we send leaves to the curb and remove them from our properties, we're literally throwing away the next generation of pollinators," Daly said. She offered five homeowner strategies: keep leaves in garden beds and under shrubs, create stem stubble by cutting standing stems to leave habitat, shrink turf and expand native beds, create "soft landings" under tree drip lines, and use on-site compost bins or mulch-mow leaves only as a last resort.

Susan Landau presented pocket forests and "ornamental reforestation" as tidy, small-scale lawn replacements. She said planting small groups of trees and an understory reduces mowing, improves stormwater handling and increases resilience: roots interlock, and the layered canopy and groundcover create a low-maintenance habitat patch that can be made HOA-friendly by using a limited species palette and a clear edge or stone border as a "cue to care."

Brian Monahan, a master gardener with the Madison Environmental Commission, focused on organic lawn care while homeowners transition their lawns. He advised starting with a Rutgers soil test to guide pH and nutrient adjustments, using organic amendments, dethatching and core aeration where soil is compacted, seeding with appropriate turf-type mixes for sun or shade, mowing at about 3 inches, leaving clippings, and reducing irrigation. Monahan said higher mowing heights and building soil biology reduce weed pressure and long-term inputs.

Panelists also discussed practical tradeoffs: where leaf volume is too large for beds, corral leaves in a soil-contact compost bin, or move them to less-used parts of a property; in heavy deciduous neighborhoods, an "all the above" strategy (some leaves left in beds, some composted, some mulched) may be most realistic. Presenters repeatedly emphasized "right plant, right place," and recommended soil ribbon tests and Rutgers lab analyses for specific planting decisions.

In a question-and-answer session attendees asked about deer-resistant species, local sources for natives (pinelands nurseries, the Great Swamp plug sale, Toadshade Wildflower Farm, Wild Ridge, and Wildstead garden center were named), HOA acceptance (use defined edges and repeating species to signal care), and managing invasives such as Japanese stiltgrass (cutting before seed set, repeated removal, and replanting competitive natives). The panel promised to email a recording, a PDF with resources and a landscaper checklist to help homeowners instruct contractors.

Practical next steps offered to attendees included: perform a soil test; choose host and nectar plants via ZIP-code tools; retain leaves in beds and create soft landings under trees; start small (three trees or a small pocket forest); and use the landscaper checklist to set expectations for reduced pesticide use, reduced mowing frequency and limited use of blowers.

Organizers noted that handouts and seed packets were available at the event and encouraged attendees to share materials with neighbors.