Second Annual Sustainable Garden Tour JULIE PRISCO

jprisco@antonmediagroup.com

On Saturday, June 17, the Port Washington Water District (PWWD) and ReWild Long Island hosted the Second Annual Sustainable Garden Tour to show residents how to participate in sustainable alternatives to water-thirsty lawns. The garden tour is part of the Port Washington Water District’s Do It For Port! Campaign.

The Do It For Port! campaign began last year to encourage and educate Port residents to be more conscientious about water usage. The informational events are brought to the community by the PWWD and spearheaded by Commissioner Mindy Germain.

“This campaign is really about engaging the voices of our own residents. It’s about showing residents, not just telling them. It’s about being out in the community. It’s about giving people tools,” Commissioner Germain told the Port Washinton News in May. “And I think we’re starting to see community acceptance that our drinking water is threatened by overuse, and we need to take steps to curb waste.”

The PWWD serves about 30,000 residents, and with the increasing need for water conservation during the warm season, the Do It For Port! campaign ensures residents have all the tools and resources needed to maximize water savings when the community’s water consumption spikes.

Based on the PWWD’s data, Commissioner Germain shared that 2010, 2014, 2015, 2020 and 2022 were the hottest and driest summer seasons. While 2022 was the hottest and driest of them all, the PWWD pumped the least. The campaign’s different educational and informational components aided Port in its incredible water conservation efforts.

The Port Washington Water District utilized its tools to create a watering schedule, encourage the use of smart irrigation technology, host the sustainable garden tour, educate residents and spread helpful information. Due to the success of the 2022 Do It For Port! Campaign, the water district continued its efforts this year to keep the residents updated and educated on ways to conserve water.

More than 100 residents joined the water district and ReWild Long Island for the Sustainable Garden Tour. ReWild Long Island works with communities to protect and improve regional ecosystems’ biodiversity, resilience and health by adopting sustainable landscaping practices centered around native plants.

“We showcase about seven homes in our community that have rewilded and practice sustainable gardening practices,” said Commissioner Germain at the garden tour. “The reason we do this is because water conservation is so important on our peninsula, and rather than just tell people what to do, we are showing them.”

The Sustainable Garden Tour began at the ReWild garden, the Thomas Dodge Homestead, under the Cow Neck Peninsula Historical Society (CNPHS) stewardship. In May, ReWild Long Island planted a native garden to showcase native plants and promote the strong and growing demand for environmentally-friendly landscaping.

The water district and ReWild members shared strategies to reduce lawn footprint, composting, organic fruits and vegetables, smart sprinklers and more. They pick up ideas to grow a great-looking garden that uses less water and fewer chemicals while saving time and money.

“What we are doing here is telling people about the principles of sustainable landscaping, which is essential for us to improve climate, resiliency and biodiversity, and also the health of our communities,” said Raju Rajan, President of the Board at ReWild Long Island.

Environemtnally-friendly landscaping increases bio-diversity and reduces the conventional gardening approach’s negative effects. The sustainable gardens feature bird and pollinator-friendly native plants.

“[We are showing] landscapes, unlike your traditional manicured lawn. We are emphasizing principles of composting, recycling, growing organic vegetables, and putting in native plants that are much more friendly to our pollinators and insects,” said Rajan.

The tour highlighted beautiful plants like penstemon and spiderwort that don’t require constant watering. Residents can plant native gardens without sacrificing the aesthetics and beauty of their gardens. Penstemon plants can grow in various colors, such as white, rose, red, blue, and, most commonly, purple. The plant is also drought and heat tolerant.

“A lot of these [native] plants require less water as far as landscaping is concerned. Not only that, rather than pumping water out of the aquifer and putting it on these plants, these plants are able to be more drought tolerant,” said Rajan. “They are more resistant while at the same time not requiring fertilizer and insecticide and things like that that run off into the bay.”

To learn more about native gardens and plants, visit rewildlongisland.org

The Do It For Port! campaign will run throughout the summer. In partnership with the Science Museum of Long Island, the PWWD will have a table at three Live at Five events on July 13. The PWWD will do activities with kids, such as helping them build their aquifers and talking to parents about conservation rules and tips.

To stay informed on upcoming Do It For Port! events, visit the Port Washington Water District website at pwwd.org

Plant Selection Tips For Your Sustainable Native Garden

• Avoid double blooms- Native species that have been altered to create larger flowers can have double the petals, making it difficult for bees and other pollinators to access the pollen and nectar they need.

• Avoid plants with a change in leaf color- Certain insects may be repelled by the changed chemical composition of the leaves and may not eat those leaves, rendering that plant useless to the ecosystem. For these reasons, a native planting should be composed of “straight” species or cultivars that do not significantly alter flowers or leaves.

• Sustain wildlife throughout the yearInclude some plants for each season to sustain wildlife.

Plants Suggestions

• Blue Flag Iris (Iris Versicolor)- The flower is purple or lavender-blue. It attracts bumblebees and birds that eat the seeds.

• Swamp Milkweed (Asclepias

Incarnata)- Fragrant pink. The plant has a high wildlife value to native bees, butterflies and birds.

• Blazing Star (Liatris Spicata)- The plant is tall and purple. Butterflies love this plant.

• Cardinal Flower (Lobelia Cardinalis)Vibrant red color. Nectar rich and attracts hummingbirds.

• Threadleaf Mountain Mint (Pycnanthemum Tenuifolium)- White with lavender spots. One of the best plants for native pollinators.

Questions

Visit ReWild Long Island’s website (rewildlongisland.org) for more information and to contact ReWild for help with your garden.

—Information compiled from ReWild Long Island’s ‘22 Plants for 2022’ presentation presented by Kimberly Simmen (Horticulturist & Owner of KMS Native Plants) and Rebecca Vargas (Native Plant Garden Designer & Gardening Blogger)