On Saturday, February 25, the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth hosted a public workshop called Native Nature at Home. The workshop promoted the incorporation of more native plants into gardens and yards. The event was held over Zoom and was well-attended, with over 50 people on the call and almost 100 requesting a copy of the recorded talk.

The workshop was presented by the Office of Ecological Sustainability, with AmeriCorps Member Brenden Dines taking the lead. The goal was to answer the hard questions that most people have when starting to plant a native garden: Why, How, and With What?

Speaker Dr. Margaret Carreiro answered the ‘why?’; she is a professor emerita in urban and suburban ecology at the University of Louisville. Dr. Carreiro has done extensive research on the relationship between urban and suburban environments and the loss of wildlife habitat. Her talk focused on the damage done by non-native invasive plants, such as winter creeper, and the dependent relationship many pollinator species have with the native plants with which they have co-evolved.

Immediately following to answer the ‘how’ was Elizabeth Kuhn, owner and operator of Backyard Botanicals. Her business specializes in the conceptualization, installation, and maintenance of native gardens. She led viewers through the questions to ask to determine where and how to plant a native garden.

To answer the final question of ‘with what?’ was Alicia Bosela. She runs a plant nursery called Ironweed Native Plant Nursery and gave examples of native wildflowers, shrubs, and grasses that could be cultivated to fit any aesthetic.

Overall, the workshop received very positive feedback.

Watch a recording of the video:

Source: https://nazareth.org/