March 5, 6:30 – 8 p.m.
SERIES KEYNOTE
Nature’s Best Hope—Doug Tallamy
Recent headlines about global insect declines, the impending extinction of one million species worldwide, and three billion fewer birds in North America are a bleak reality check about how ineffective our current landscape designs have been at sustaining the plants and animals that sustain us. Such losses are not an option if we wish to continue our current standard of living on Planet Earth. The good news is that none of this is inevitable. Tallamy discusses simple steps that each of us can- and must- take to reverse declining biodiversity and explains why we, ourselves, are nature’s best hope.
March 9, 6:30 – 8 p.m.
How, Which, Where and Why to Add Native Plants
Janet Davis, Hill House Nursery
Learn to see the garden in a different way, and how to add more native plants into your landscape—and why it matters. By using native plants, employing sustainable techniques and layering our gardens, we become a ‘part of nature’ rather than ‘apart from nature’.
March 23, 6:30 – 8 p.m.
Landscaping with Layers
Trista Imrich—Wild Worlds of Nature
Learn about landscape choices inspired by nature. What do natural plant communities show us about the importance of layers in your yard, from the ground to the tops of the trees? How can you attractively recreate their form and function in your own landscape?
April 6, 6:30 – 8 p.m.
Plight of the Pollinator: How to Support Pollinating Insects
Celia Vuocolo, Habitat & Stewardship Specialist, Piedmont Environmental Council
Pollinators and other native insects need a diverse array of native plants to survive and thrive. Learn who's who in Virginia's bee community, the basics of providing pollinator habitat, and how to broadly support some of Virginia's smallest residents by making your yard seem like a national park for insects!
April 20, 6:30 – 8 p.m.
Common Invasive Plants in Virginia: Identification, Control and Native Alternatives
Elizabeth Mizell, Blue Ridge PRISM
Invasive Plants Are a Real Problem for Virginia. This program gives and overview of why invasive plants are a problem here (and elsewhere). Review the most common invasive plants you might see in your forest, field or backyard that are easily identified in the spring; learn control options and alternatives to those invasive plants commonly used in landscaping.
May 4, 6:30 – 8 p.m. OK
The Right Native in the Right Place
John Magee, Magee Design
Finding plants that will thrive under certain environmental conditions such as street side spaces, dry shade, rain gardens, small spaces, wet shade or near house/foundation plantings can be challenging. Learn how native plants are up to the task.
