The Delaware Native Plant Society will host an educational symposium this month regarding the benefits of vegetated backyards and buffers.
For nearly 25 years, the Delaware Native Plant Society has promoted the use and conservation of native plants in the First State.
And on October 29, 2022 the group will hold a free symposium at the Lewes Public Library.
“It’s going to be a discussion about buffers in the area - how to plant them and how to incorporate peoples’ backyards against buffers to make it even a better experience," said Delaware Native Plant Society president Eric Wahl - a registered landscape architect. "And we’re going to use Lewes and surrounding areas as a base of discussion.”
Wahl says buffers have been a big topic of late in Sussex County and in different municipalities.
He says this symposium will teach people how to plant buffers - using one of 1,600 species of native plants found in Delaware.
Wahl explains why buffers of all types are important.
“One obvious reason is it actually helps to screen neighbors against neighbors - like at the back of their houses if they’re up against each other - there’s usually a buffer in between. If there’s a new development - there’s usually a perimeter buffer that goes around the entire development," he said. "And that’s also to help screen the adjacent properties.”
Wahl says buffers can also help filter stormwater runoff, provide oxygen through photosynthesis and provide habitat and resources for wildlife.
The symposium will run from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Oct. 29, 2022.
