Sustainable Landscaping Speaker Series

Is your garden club, neighborhood group or other organization interested in learning more about native plants, pollinators and environmentally sustainable practices? Check out the new Lake-to-Prairie Chapter Sustainable Landscaping  Speaker Series. Contact us to arrange a speaker on any of the following topics. 

 

Gardening with Natives includes an overview of the basics of using natives in a landscape. It demonstrates the many environmental benefits of using natives while showing how beautiful these landscapes can be. It also shares many resources to assist homeowners in planning and executing a successful project. Speaker: Sandy Washburn

 

Living Soils  Applying some basic soil science will help you build better soils for your garden, home landscape or natural area.  We will show how compost and other organic material improves soil texture and fertility, and increases biological activity.  Discussion will include soil ecology and the seed bank (dormant seeds in the soil), and how other life in the soil can help or hinder efforts to grow desired plants. Speaker: Jeff Weiss

 

Native Alternatives to Invasive Shrubs and Trees Introduced shrubs – especially buckthorn, honeysuckle, butterfly bush and barberry – have escaped cultivation and now threaten biodiversity of plants and wildlife. This program uses a “show and tell” format that teaches how to identify noxious plants and incorporate beneficial native species into your home landscape. Speaker: Jeff Weiss

 

Woody Plants in the Home Landscape is a discussion of common exotic ornamental shrubs that often escape and invade natural areas, and native shrubs that are excellent replacements for them.  These native shrubs are adapted to our climate and soils and are a magnet for pollinators and birds.  The talk is hands-on for smaller groups.  Samples are passed around and used to learn plant ID. Speaker: Jeff Weiss

 

Spring Native Plant Propagation or Fall Native Plant Propagation By Seeds 
These seasonal plant propagation workshops are hands-on, designed for up to 16 participants.  They involve some setup and require a space that can get dirty.  They can also be adapted to be presentations for a larger audience ( the hands-on approach is preferred). Jeff Weiss has presented longer versions of these programs at The Morton Arboretum.

 

Citizen Science in Your Own Backyard  Lean how to enhance your enjoyment of nature and deepen your knowledge of native plants by becoming a Citizen Scientist in your own yard, local park or forest preserve. This program will discuss how you can contribute to scientific study by participating in bird or bee counts, monitoring wildlife, setting up a home weather station, monitoring your native plants and more. Speaker: Jeff Weiss

 

ABC’s of Green Infrastructure This talk covers the basics of nature-based solutions that can be used to protect air, water, soil and biological resources.  Jeff  talks from his experience in designing and implementing rain gardens and bioswales, and restoring wetlands, streambanks and shorelines. Speaker: Jeff Weiss

 

Babbling Brooks – What Are They Telling Us?
Streams around the world suffer from Urban Stream Syndrome.  Our local streams are no exception.  This program will discuss  the work being done in local watersheds, some common findings and actions we can all take to protect our streams and water sources. Speaker: Jeff Weiss

 

Corpse Botany – Winter Plant ID  Winter can be a magical time for walks in the woods and prairies of our region. While plants are “hibernating” along with much of our wildlife, many trees, shrubs, wildflowers, and grasses are identifiable by their wintertime shape and characteristics, including, bark, buds, stems, leaves, and seeds. This talk will discuss  how to identify plants in winter and enhance your outdoor experiences. Speaker: Jeff Weiss

 

 

About Our Speakers

Sandy Washburn discovered natives when she retired from a career in education and has been hooked ever since. She has served on the Wild Ones Lake-to-Prairie Chapter board for a number of years and presently serves as chapter president.. Sandy is a Master Gardener, volunteers on a Lake County Forest Preserve restoration team and helps coordinate a garden project in Highland Park that benefits the local food pantry. Her goal: help others avoid some of the mistakes she has made while sharing the many benefits of adding natives to your landscape.

 

Jeff Weiss is an ecologist who lives in Buffalo Grove and has taught native plant propagation and ecology classes at The Morton Arboretum and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.  He earned a master’s degree in natural resources and environmental science from UIUC. Jeff founded the Buffalo Grove Environmental Action Team and the Buffalo Creek Clean Water Partnership.  He is a volunteer steward leader of the Buffalo Grove Prairie Guardians and is currently Membership Chair on the Wild Ones Lake-to-Prairie Chapter board.

 

Questions? Ready to book a speaker? Contact us at: [email protected]