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Learn how to integrate edible plants (vegetables and herbs) into your wildscape and garden.
The Fredericksburg Chapter of the Native Plant Society of Texas will sponsor Wildscapes Workshop, an educational seminar on perennials, produce and pollinators, on Saturday, September 12, 2009.
Emphasis will be on using more native (and approved adapted) plants in your landscape with the goal of creating an environment that is practical, sustainable, and irresistible to our essential pollinators. In addition to a series of four seminars, the workshop includes educational exhibits and a book sale. A plant sale will offer many of the specimens featured in the presentations. Following the workshop is a self-guided tour of three area gardens representative of the Grow it Yourself presentation.
The workshop will be held at the Fredericksburg United Methodist Church, 1800 N. Llano Street. You may download a registration form here. A box lunch is included with registration.
Sustainable Landscapes, presented by Katherine Crawford.
This is Sustainability 101. Learn what constitutes a sustainable landscape along with the benefits of such a project. Ways to create a sustainable landscape or improve the sustainability of your current garden will be explored, including information on what plants are desirable, soil type, water needs, and when and how to use appropriate fertilizers and pesticides. Crawford is owner of Good Earth Design, a firm providing site assessment and landscape designs with emphasis on permaculture, water storage and edible landscapes.
Edible and Medicinal Native Plants, presented by Janis Merritt.
Some of our beautiful native plants are not only perennial but also edible. Some natives can even have holistic medicinal applications. Learn which natives are useful as food sources, and how to recognize which plants are dangerous to eat and should be avoided. Merritt is a Native Plant Specialist for the City of San Antonio Parks Department.
Pollinators and Plants They Seek Out, presented by Dr. Molly Keck.
We’ll identify our primary pollinators and discuss why they are so essential to our gardens (and to us). Material covered includes what kind of habitat is necessary to attract and sustain pollinators, and which plants are dependent on pollinators. Additionally, we will learn what honeybees need to produce honey and what we can do to help. Keck is an Integrated Pest Management Program Specialist with Texas AgriLIFE in San Antonio, and coordinates and teaches entomology programs in Bexar County.
Grow-It-Yourself: Mixing Edible Plants in Your Landscape, presented by Daphne Richards.
Tight economic times have helped make Grow-It-Yourself one of the fastest growing garden trends in years. Even first-time gardeners are expressing interest in growing their own vegetables, herbs and even cut flowers. Native perennials, too, are experiencing resurgence in popularity because of their hardiness and longevity, while container gardening and creative use of small spaces continue as practical ways to integrate edibles into the existing landscape. Richards is Travis County’s new Texas AgriLIFE Extension Service agent. Formerly assigned to El Paso, Richards hosted a weekly radio program, “Good to Grow,” on the local NPR affiliate and is a contributor to the Texas Urban Landscape Guide.
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**ARCHIVED POST AUTHOR: Bill Hopkins
