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.
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