Upcoming Events

Current list of Presentation Topics and Descriptions

Introduction to Native Plants - Habitat loss from destruction, fragmentation and degradation is a threat the native flora and fauna.  Gardeners in urban, suburban and rural residential communities are uniquely suited to providing pockets of biodiversity to provide long term environmental sustainability.  Native varietals of plants, bushes and trees -locally sourced – provides the best chances for success. 

Gardening in the Shade – Shade gardening can be challenging whether dry or wet.  Native plants, local to our area, are great alternatives to traditional nursery plants and can benefit the environment.  Understanding natives that thrive in the shade can aid in selecting the best native plants for the job.

Landscape Solutions with Native Plants – The effects of climate instability has presented new challenges for homeowners.  Wetter summers, drier springs, extreme temperature swings have all impacted landowners.  The right native plant or plants can help mitigate some of these challenges and thrive. 

Not Just a Pretty Face (Medicinal Native Plants) - Native plants, trees and bushes are critical to ecological resiliency and biodiversity. Native plants have an additional value as they have been used medicinally by indigenous populations for centuries. This presentation will discuss medicinal natives and their many uses while also touching upon some important herbs that can be grown in container gardens or sunny borders. Many of these medicinal plants are important food sources for pollinators and critical to the environment. The information provided in this presentation is for educational purposes only and not intended to provide information to treat or diagnose any particular medical problem.

Winter Sowing and Native Plants – Winter sowing is an effective way to grow native plants, annuals and vegetable seeds using recycled milk jugs.  Winter sowing traditionally starts on the Winter Solstice and is a great way to extend the growing season and grow your own food.

Monarchs & Milkweeds: Specialized Relationships in the Natural World – Specialized relationships move the natural along.  Monarchs need milkweed to live out their life cycle and become the pollinator we need them to be.  Understanding these specialized relationships are critical to knowing what native plants (keystone species and connective species) provide the most support for the vast majority of insects, pollinators and birds.

Bad Boy Plants and the Insects that Love them - The natural world is build upon specialized relationships. Native plants need birds, insects and butterflies to spread their seed, protect their young and provide the essentials of life. These specialized relationships explain why biodiversity is critical for reliance in an ecosystem facing a changing climate

Monarchs and Milkweeds: Specialized Relationships in the Natural World - Most people know that monarchs need milkweed to survive but the natural world is full of specialized relationships.  Hackberry butterflies need Hackberry trees, American Lady butterflies need pussytoes, and Spicebush butterflies need Spicebushes.  Understanding these relationships can help us better understand how to help pollinators, specifically, and the environment as a whole.  

Introduction to Permaculture & Native Plant Communities – permaculture essentially means permanent agriculture.  The pandemic demonstrated how easily food supply chains can break down.  Growing a food forest and investing in perennials, bushes or trees that provide food for you as well as the natural world can help support the environment while feeding your family.

The Gardens at Murder Creek: Restoration and Biodiversity - The restoration efforts at our gardens (Gardens at Murder Creek) focus on restoring of the Great Lakes ecosystem on just under 10 acres.  The property, a former horse pasture, was purchased in 2008 and restoration efforts in 2010.  Our mission included the removal of invasive exotics, increased biodiversity of Great Lakes native plants, and stabilized the banks of our seasonally flooded creek bed.  So far our efforts have transformed the landscape and we have begun cataloging the results of our efforts in terms of insects, birds, and mammals.  More work is needed but restoration takes time.   Our primary goal has always been to demonstrate what restoring native plants would mean to the community.