Choosing, Planting, and Caring for Native Plants with Elaine Silverstein (March 2024)

Back by popular demand!
A four-session course taught by Elaine Silverstein on Zoom
March 10, 17, 24, and 31, 2024
Sundays 9:30-11:30am

Session 1 Introduction to Native Plants
In this session, we will discuss why it is important to plant native plants and where you can find them. We will also look at easy-to grow native plants for a variety of site conditions.

Session 2 Creating a Native Habitat,
Part 1: Planning and Designing
We will begin by exploring the concept of a habitat and discuss why a native plant garden can be considered to be a habitat, not just a garden. Then we’ll go through the steps of garden planning, paying particular attention to the many online and print resources available to help gardeners choose plants and design gardens. We’ll discuss some sample garden designs, and students will be asked to design a small sample garden for the next week’s class.

Session 3 Creating a Native Habitat,
Part 2: Planting and Care
This session covers the nitty-gritty of horticulture: how to choose plants, how to plant them, and how to care for them after planting. Topics covered include killing grass, amending soil, the best plants to purchase, and fall and spring garden cleanup. We’ll also go over students’ sample garden designs.

Session 4 Naturescaping: Landscaping from Nature
In this final session, we take a step beyond gardening to consider how nature designs ecosystems and how gardeners can mimic nature in their gardens, a process known as naturescaping. Naturescaping allows us to help restore the landscape to the sustainability of its natural state. The class includes three specific examples of native landscapes and many resources to help you in your garden planning.

Members only
The course costs $60

About the Instructor: Elaine Silverstein is certified in Sustainable Landscape Management by the New York Botanical Garden, where she has also earned the Urban Naturalist certificate and continues to study botany, ecology, and landscape design. She maintains a horticulture practice in Bergen County where she advises clients on sustainability, garden design, and installing and caring for native plantings. She is a vice president of chapters for the Native Plant Society of New Jersey and co-leader of the Bergen-Passaic chapter. She lives in Glen Rock.