Keep Sedona Beautiful’s 35th Annual Native Plant Workshop will be held on Saturday, March 8th at West Sedona School, 570 Posse Grounds Road, from 8:30am – 3:00pm. In addition to keynotes speakers T. Barnabas Kane and Jeff Schalau, there will be a total of seven workshops from which participants may choose to attend two.
Although rainwater harvesting has been accomplished by humans in virtually every drought vulnerable region of the world for millennia, our society seems to have collective amnesia about the utility, efficiency, sustainability and beauty of these time-tried practices. T. Barnabas Kane has 25 years of experience in efficient water management, mitigation, restoration, rainwater catchment and sustainable habitat. His keynote topic will be “Rainwater Harvesting and Hydrozoning with Plants,” which explores the balance between passive rainwater harvesting and conventional drip irrigation and how to group plants into hydro-zones.
Jeff Schalau’s keynote topic, “Selecting and Caring for Native Grasses and Shrubs,” will provide simple strategies for plant selection and managing shrubs to compliment rather than dominate your landscape. He has been Agent, Agriculture and Natural Resources and County Extension Director for the University of Arizona Cooperative Extension in Yavapai County since 1998. He is also the author of the “Backyard Gardener” and has spoken at 16 KSB Native Plant Workshops.
The seven workshops will address a variety of presenters and gardening topics: (1) Jason Lavelle’s “Keeping it Beautiful: Tips on Maintaining a Healthy Low Water Landscape” will address achieving a healthy landscape in balance with nature’s wisdom; (2) Shaun Symond’s “Selecting & Growing Native Plants for Your Yard” will cover native plants grown for the Verde Valley; (3) Kevin Harding’s “Native Plants, Animals and Us” will be taking a short walk with the goal of getting beyond plant identification; (4) Janie Agyagos’ “Native Landscaping without Nuisance Wildlife,” will discuss the importance of using natives in landscaping, which ornamental species are highly invasive and should be avoided, and planting arrangements that benefit non-nuisance wildlife; (5) Patrick Pynes’ “If you plant them, bees will thrive” will discuss how people, native plants, honeybees, and other pollinators, working together can create and perpetuate thriving local ecosystems; (6) Chris Anderson’s “Cultivating the Garden of Your Dreams” will look at your priorities, garden layout, budgeting, and more through applying the principles of Permaculture to gardening with native plants; and (7) Merle & Michelle Herrick‘s “Three Different Methods of Composting” will cover methods and types of composting.
Please visit https://www.keepsedonabeautiful.org/our-programs/native-plant-workshop to make your workshop selections and sign up for a fascinating opportunity to learn about native plants of Sedona and the Verde Valley. To register, please log onto https://www.keepsedonabeautiful.org/our-programs/native-plant-workshop.
In conjunction with the Native Plant Workshop, Keep Sedona Beautiful will be sponsoring a silent auction. The silent auction will offer a vast array of services, products and gift certificates ranging from dinners, native plants, and decorative items for the home and garden. To view the items online, please visit https://www.keepsedonabeautiful.org/main-content/native-plant-workshop/130-npw-silent-auction-items-2014. All proceeds from the silent auction go to support Keep Sedona Beautiful.
Keep Sedona Beautiful is a nonprofit organization that, by acting through the stewardship of its members and volunteers, is committed to protect and sustain the scenic beauty and natural environment of Sedona and the Verde Valley. For more information about Keep Sedona Beautiful, please visit www.keepsedonabeautiful.org or call 928-282-4938.