Project Goal
Beautify the main entrance to the Metedeconk River Yacht Club (MRYC) and offer a model low-maintenance native plant garden to club members and the neighboring community.
Site Assessment
The Metedeconk River Yacht Club garden is located at the club’s driveway entrance along Tilton Road. The topography is level and an irrigation system is in place. The garden is maintained by a landscaper. Part of the garden bed is built on an old concrete road; random areas of soil are compacted three inches downward and mixed with rocks and gravel. The soil contains adequate organic matter; however no soil life was observed. The site receives full sun throughout the day and is across the street from the Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge.
Actions
The Jersey-Friendly Yards Plant Database was used to select native shrubs and perennials that require little to no fertilizer, reducing non-point source pollution found in runoff and protecting the surrounding natural area. Several non-native grasses established in the plot were relocated behind the MRYC sign. The selected native shrubs and perennials offer a range of colors, textures and bloom times for an attractive three-season native garden that is easy to replicate.
Plants Used
Shrubs: Groundsel Bush (Baccharis halimifolia) and Northern Bayberry (Morella pensylvanica)
Perennials: Blue Giant Hyssop (Agastache foeniculum), Eastern Blue Star (Amsonia tabernaemontana), Butterfly Weed (Asclepias tuberosa), Blue Wild Indigo (Baptisia australis), Yellow Wild Indigo (Baptisia tinctoria), Purple Mistflower (Conoclinium coelestinum), Blazing Star (Liatris spicata), Great Blue Lobelia (Lobelia siphilitica), Sundial Lupine (Lupinus perennis), Mountain Mint (Pycanthemum muticum), Orange Coneflower (Rudbeckia fulgida), Lanceleaf Tickseed (Coreopsis lanceolata), and False Sunflower (Heliopsis helianthoides)
Project Leaders
Becky Laboy and Eileen Miller: Ocean County Soil Conservation District
Mike Gerrity: Rutgers Environmental Steward
Eric Lehnes, Russ Schon, Bill Preyer: Metedeconk River Yacht Club