Did you know that our landscaping projects at North and Claremont are getting high marks?
I recently sat down with Cynthia Greenberg, the StopWaste.org Bay-Friendly rater who is evaluating the landscaping at North and Claremont Branches to learn more about the landscaping plans for the projects. These two locations are among the very first to be rated in the City of Berkeley, a fact that makes us quite proud.
StopWaste.org has developed a rating system for commercial landscaping projects that rate projects on their seven principals and practices of bay-friendly design, and Cynthia has been reviewing the plans and landscaping practices at the branches in order to rate them as "Bay-Friendly".
At the Claremont Branch, Cynthia notes that the library project is gaining points for saving the chipped trees from the property to use as mulch in the final design, using large native shrubs and trees that double as native wildlife shelter, and installing permeable paving material that lets valuable rainwater into the soil beneath.
The landscape architects also plan to install flow-through planters that capture stormwater, clean and filter it, and then release the water to plants below as well as sheet mulch for weed control.
88% of the plants to be used on the Claremont project are drought tolerant, 86% are native, and the lack of turf (grass) will require dramatically less water and maintenance.
To access the StopWaste map of Bay-Friendly rated landscapes, click here.
Their website is full of information on how the home gardener can create bay-friendly spaces in their own homes. Be sure to take a peek at their site and get inspired to garden!
Next week....North Branch's landscaping information...
