There’s still time to plant a native garden and start attracting pollinators. Two native plant sales and a garden tour are scheduled in Lawrence, KS to help you get started.
Native plants are adapted to Midwest weather extremes and are ecologically useful for low-maintenance landscaping. The flowers and grasses also attract pollinators and other beneficial insects and provide food and habitat to native wildlife, migrating birds and butterflies like the Monarch. Native plants also have deep roots that are drought resistant, provide erosion control and retain water.
Upcoming native plant events include:
Grassland Heritage Foundation Native Plant Sale
Saturday, May 20, 9 a.m. – 1 p.m., Trinity Episcopal Church, 1011 Vermont St., Lawrence
Landscape and prairie experts will be available to help gardeners choose plants and give advice on how to plant them. There will be milkweed, coneflower, black-eyed Susan, and some harder to find prairie wildflowers and shade-tolerant species. All plants are locally grown Kansas natives and are free of neonicotinoids, the insecticides that are harmful to bees. For more information, contact Kim Bellemere at [email protected] or call 785-840-8104.
Douglas County Master Gardeners’ Garden Tour & Plant Sale
Plant Sale: Saturday, June 3, 9 a.m. -2:30 p.m., Douglas County 4H Fairgrounds, 1930 Harper St., Lawrence
Garden Tour: Saturday, June 3, 9:30 a.m. – 5 p.m. and Sunday, June 4, 11 a.m. – 5 p.m., Douglas County KS Master Gardeners, 2100 Harper St., Lawrence, KS
The Douglas County Master Gardeners’ Garden Tour & Plant Sale will feature local gardens and offer locally grown plants with many native varieties. Five out of the seven gardens on the tour belong to Master Gardeners. Most of the gardens contain a water feature, ranging from a dry-creek bed that only fills up when heavy rains occur, to bubblers, ponds, a creek and a view overlooking a lake.
Tour tickets are $10. Proceeds support local conservation organizations.