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MDC and partners host free virtual native landscaping workshop series starting March 10

St. LOUIS, Mo.— Homeowners can contribute significantly to making their neighborhoods and communities greener by planting native plants.   To help them get started, the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) and the Partners for Native Landscaping have teamed up with St. Louis County Library to present a series of free virtual native landscaping workshop sessions: Spring Seminar Series: All About Native Plants.

A total of nine sessions will take place starting March 10 and run through May 4. Individual sessions will include an Introduction to Native Landscaping for Wildlife and People, Native Gardening for Pollinators, Native Plant Gardening for Birds, Rainscaping with Native Plants, and Gardening with Native Shrubs and Trees, plus more. The seminars will be led by experts in the field like Dave Tylka and Mitch Leachman of the St. Louis Audubon Society, Ed Spevak from the Saint Louis Zoo, Jean Ponzi from the Missouri Botanical Garden, and Shaw Nature Reserve’s Scott Woodbury.

Each Spring Seminar Series: All About Native Plants session is free and those interested may attend as many as they choose. More information about the series and a complete list of programs can be found at https://short.mdc.mo.gov/ZRx. Advance registration is required by going to the St. Louis Country Library event signup page at https://short.mdc.mo.gov/ZRN. Use the search feature to locate programs by title or date.

The workshop series is sponsored jointly by MDC, Shaw Nature Reserve, St. Louis Audubon Society, St. Louis Community College, the St. Louis Chapter of Wild Ones, BiodiverseCity St. Louis, Metropolitan Sewer District’s Project Clear Stormwater, Grow Native!, and hosted by the St. Louis County Library.

Native plants have evolved in Missouri’s landscape. They are better acclimated to our climate conditions than exotic plants and resistant to local pests and diseases. This translates into less time, effort, and costs consumed by watering, fertilizing, and insecticide use.

Likewise, native Missouri wildlife has evolved to coexist and use native plants for cover, food and habitat. So, increasing native plants also tends to increase desirable wildlife, like birds, butterflies, and pollinators.

This Partners for Native Landscaping virtual workshop series is part of MDC’s commitment to work with homeowners to sustain healthy and greener communities for both people and wildlife.