Tour a yard blooming with native plants in Iowa City on Sunday, Sept. 15, 2013. (photo/Fred Meyer, Backyard Abundance)

Tour an Iowa City yard blooming with native plants on Sunday, Sept. 15, 2013. (photo/Judy Krieg)

If you’d prefer native plants over your turfgrass lawn, but weren’t sure how to go about it, Backyard Abundance offers a perfect opportunity to tour a spectacular example of one of these yards, for free.

Fred Meyer, director of the Iowa City non-profit, passed along the following about this upcoming event:

IOWA CITY, IA – To help residents learn how to create beautiful yards that are low maintenance and benefit our environment, Backyard Abundance is hosting a free yard tour at the townhome of Judy Krieg at 903 Walker Circle in Iowa City from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, September 15. Refreshments will be served.

 How can a diversity of Midwest native plants be beautifully arranged in an extremely small, highly visible, pesticide-free landscape?

 Neighbors Judy, Brian, and Adrienne answered that question last year as they converted long strips of turfgrass into an all-native oasis around their shared townhome in the Iowa City Peninsula Neighborhood. They would like to share their emerging success during this yard tour.

 Features and Learning Opportunities

·         Best native plants for small spaces.

·         Rain barrels to capture roof runoff for watering nearby plants.

·         Raised beds of native plants and vegetables.

·         Establishing low-growing buffalograss as a maintenance-free frame around native plants.

·         Preparing soil to go from turfgrass to native plants.

·         Raised rain garden that infiltrates roof runoff to water plants and increase the health of urban streams.

·         Tidy compost bins for creating free plant nutrients.

·         Xeriscaping: landscaping that reduces or eliminates the need for supplemental irrigation.

 Experts from the Coralville-based Earthview Environmental will be ready to answer questions about native plants and stormwater management practices using rain gardens.

 For more information visit www.BackyardAbundance.org or call 319-325-6810.

 See pictures of the landscape.

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Backyard Abundance is an Iowa City-based nonprofit that helps build vibrant communities by creating beautiful, resilient landscapes that provide healthy food and habitat.