PEMBROKE, Mass. -- Water is a vitally important resource for all of humanity, and the way Public Works Director Michael Valenti sees it, the GreenScapes educational program is the best way for residents to learn how to protect Pembroke's groundwater supply.
Sponsored by the North and South Rivers Watershed Association, presentations on GreenScaping have recently been held in area South Shore towns. Pembroke's informational forum was held last week at town hall, with the two-hour program taped and scheduled to be shown to viewers over Adelphia's community cable channel over upcoming weeks.
"The water department became involved after the North and South Rivers Watershed director contacted us," Valenti said prior to last week's presentation. "I brought it to the commissioners and they thought it was a good idea and that we should support it. It's a great program."
Mike Walsh, president of Horticultural Concepts, a landscaping design company in Braintree, gave the very enlightening and engaging presentation. Walsh said he first became interested in groundwater protection back in the mid-1980s, when Kingston was seeking a permit "to drop another well and moaning about the water quality."
What was then polluting the groundwater supply, water that would eventually be pumped into residents' homes for drinking water, was the seepage of nutrients used in lawn fertilizers. Walsh explained that if one neighbor allowed a lawn to brown out during warm summer months, by not keeping it fed, watered and green, that neighbor would draw the ire of all others with green lawns on the street.
So, to not elicit the consternation of others, people go to great lengths to maintain the greenest of lawns all summer, he said.
"Everyone wants a green lawn, but I'm here to tell you that a green lawn is not native to New England - so we have to create an artificial environment," he noted in making his introductory remarks. "The Ipswich River dries out in summer because of wells pulling water out of the river to irrigate landscapes. Summer water use is not going for showers or washing cars - it's going to water lawns."
Added to this extreme warm weather water use, which Valenti said is three to five times what the baseline water use is in colder months, is the use of lawn fertilizers containing nutrients and pesticides. With excessive watering, a great proportion of these contaminants are then washed into storm drains and into the watershed.
So what are GreenScapes? GreenScapes are "landscapes that look fantastic and are environmentally friendly." It is using plantings that require little maintenance, water or chemicals, and turf with deep roots that are naturally resistant to drought, weeds and disease.
And, while it is not natural for a New England landscape to look like a golf course putting green, Walsh says there are two extremely important rules for maintaining a green lawn that will not require excessive watering or fertilizing. The first is to always be sure your lawnmower blades are sharp, and the second is to always lime a lawn well in both spring and fall.
Walsh explained that if grass is cut with a dull blade it rips and tears the grass, leaving the grass to bleed, coat the lawn, and invites insects and disease. "All plants except grass grow from the tips up - grass grows from the ground up."
"Most people cut it too short and if grass is too short it effects how big the roots can be," he continued. "Bigger roots are deeper roots and they absorb the moisture better."
As for the lime, Walsh said this is more important to a lawn than fertilizer. "Rain is very acidic, so you have to add lime. It is necessary, it is not an option, and it does not pollute," he said, and then added. "If you look at a lawn the wrong way, it causes it to be acidic."
Walsh said he used to call his ideas "Environmentally Sound Landscaping," but developed the concept of GreenScaping last year. The presentation is being offered in seven towns, and he's offered the program to area garden clubs. A presentation at the Plymouth Garden Club drew 100 people he said.
The program will be offered at Weymouth Town Hall on June 3, Marshfield Town Hall on June 8, and at Plymouth Town Hall on June 14. The two-hour program begins at 7 p.m. each night.
For anyone wanting more information on the GreenScapes program, they can call the North and South Rivers Watershed Association at 781-659-8168. Executive Director Samantha Woods says that people can also put their names on the association's e-mail newsletter list, and receive timely tips on landscaping through the growing season.