Bringing Nature Into Your Backyard
with Virginia Burris, Habitat Garden Specialist
Do you want to make your backyard a haven for wildlife and increase your enjoyment at the same time? Imagine your yard livened with butterflies, bees, birds, and lizards. Join us for a 2-session workshop to be held at Gardener’s Guild in April, 2010 to learn how to make changes in your landscape that welcome wildlife.
Workshops will be two days.
Cost is $40 for the 4 hour course.
Dates:
Class 2-day Series I -
Fridays, April 9th and 16th
Class 2-day Series II -
Saturdays, April 10th and 17th
RSVP with GardenersGuild: info@gardenersguild.org
The Wonders of Habitat Gardening – Getting Started
Session 1:
Presentation:
Why are gardens only thought of as a place for plants? Learn how to landscape your yard so it welcomes birds, bees, lizards, butterflies, and other living things. You will never want to go back to a garden limited to “just plants”. A garden planned only for plants is like cooking without adding salt, pepper and spices.
Learn how to create a backyard not only for wildlife but for yourself and your family. Provide a place for your children to connect with nature.
The class will cover the general requirements of a habitat – food, water, cover, a place to raise young, and a focus on native plants. Examples of the interactions between animals and native plants that can occur in your garden will be discussed and the habitat requirements of some native plants and animals will be described. Garden maintenance techniques that enhance the success of the habitat will be discussed. Attend this class and gain ideas you can use to design a garden that is friendly to wildlife as well as being beautiful.
About Virginia Burris: "I moved to Albuquerque in 1990 by way of Montana, Los Angeles, Ohio and Illinois. Knowing I wanted to garden in a way that was suitable to a desert environment, I joined the Native Plant Society to learn about native plants to use in my landscape. My passion for xeric plants along with my interest in natural systems and skill in pattern recognition led me to my love of xeric landscaping.
Along the way, I realized that plants cannot survive in isolation; there is a need to incorporate animal and insect life into our gardens and our lives. As my interest in xeric landscaping has evolved, I have come to appreciate the role habitat gardening can play in healing our fractured ecosystems.
I designed and supervised installation of a habitat landscape at the First Unitarian Church in Albuquerque. This is the first church in New Mexico to include a wildlife habitat certified by the National Wildlife Federation. The landscape has been included in several garden tours. Children from the church ‘s education program connect with nature while taking part in a yearly bug count held in the habitat.
I have co-led an afterschool class of 4th graders in “How Plants Survive in the Desert”. A nearby elementary school visits my yard in the spring. For 3 years, I gave “sold out” classes on xeric landscaping – creating a backyard habitat – thru Sage Ways, an adult education provider.
My yard is certified as a Backyard Habitat.
Several years ago, I chaired a sold-out, 3-day workshop “Birds, Bees, and Butterflies – How to Create a Wildlife Habitat Garden” sponsored by the Albuquerque Chapter of the Native Plant Society. In February, I will be presenting a program on habitat gardening at the annual conference of the New Mexico Xeriscape Council. All this leads to my passion for connecting people with the natural world."
Virginia Burris, a backyard habitat designer, is a past President of Albuquerque Chapter, Native Plant Society of New Mexico.