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Incorporating Native Plants for Biodiversity

Part I - Understanding Native and Non-native Plants

Janet Entwistle will give a seminar on practical ways to enhance our local ecosystem through planting native plants and following supportive maintenance routines.

Do you want to know why it is important to incorporate more native plants into your garden? Do you want to learn how to do this in a practical and affordable way? Are there gardening practices that you can include in your fall clean up routine that will help facilitate a healthy local ecosystem?

In this talk, Janet will touch on the following topics:

• Why is it important to help protect biodiversity in our own backyards?
• How does incorporating more native plants protect local ecosystems?
• Are all non-native plants jeopardizing the local ecosystem?
• Do I have to revamp my entire garden in order to sustain local wildlife?
• How should I approach fall clean up to encourage a healthy local ecosystem?
• Where can I find more information?

Janet says, "all my life I have been a gardener. But after I retired from the World Bank, I enrolled in a Master Gardener program where all that I had previously read and experimented with in my own garden crystallized. I came to realize the importance of planting native plants to maintain biodiverse local ecosystems and contribute to global biodiversity and a healthy planet. I am now in the process of (slowly) converting my own garden to incorporate more native plants, modernizing other outdated but familiar gardening practices, and using the knowledge I gained in the Master Gardener program and my practical experience to help others in the community do the same thing.”

There will be a virtual follow up session on Thursday, August 8 at 7 PM on selecting the right native plants for your garden. 

This event is made possible through a partnership with the Alexandria Beautification Commission.

The Alexandria Beautification Commission (ABC) was established by the City to advise City Council and citizens on all matters related to City beautification. Our goals are to:

• Inspire beautification through an Awards program,
• Promote environmental sustainability through collaboration and engagement with City Council, City staff, and private organizations, and
• Educate local community on beautification & sustainability best practices.

Contact mzimmerman@alexlibraryva.org for more information.

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