Kick off the planting season this fall at Tree of Life with our Replace Your Lawn (RYL) workshop series! All workshops are free and begin at 9:30 am unless otherwise noted.
October 7, 9:30am – 12pm
RYL I – Meet the Designer Day
The designers from our Designer in Residence program will be at Tree of Life Nursery for a meet and greet! Each designer will create a native plant vignette with a different garden theme (i.e., cottage garden, chaparral garden, etc.) that will be on display throughout the day. We will lead a 9:30 AM tour of the vignettes with each designer having an opportunity to speak on their vignette. Following the tour they will be available for a meet and greet until noon!
October 14
RYL II – Creating and Caring for Your Native Garden
Now that you have killed your grass, and you are working on your design, what are you supposed to do? Tree of Life Nursery owner, Mike Evans will share from our booklet, “Creating and Caring for your Native Garden,” that you can download here: icon Creating and Caring for your Native Garden. Bringing his over 35 years of experience with these plants, as well as just as many years of site-prep, initial irrigation techniques and working with tricky landscape situations, Mike will teach you how to create a thriving and enjoyable native garden. As he has mentioned to us for years and years: “Maintenance is what you do for your car, you CARE for your plants!”
October 21
RYL III – Kill Your Lawn
The first step in transitioning to a more sustainable garden is removing your water hungry lawn. However, killing your lawn can be more involved than you would expect (depending on the type of grass you have) and the methods to get rid of a lawn are quite varied. Avoid unnecessary labor and learn several successful methods for lawn removal, depending on your turf type, budget, and timeline. Join Tree of Life’s Sam Manning as he gives this practical, easy-to-follow talk about how to remove your lawn to make way for a fresh and more sustainable landscape.
October 28, 9am – 4pm
RYL IV – Plant Selection and California Native Plant Society Membership Day
The Orange County Chapter of the California Native Plant Society will be at Tree of Life Nursery to celebrate membership to this statewide environmental organization. Members will be giving informative talks on natives throughout the day and will be available to share their extensive knowledge of natives and to help you find the right plants for your yard. The public is invited to join us and learn about the benefits of membership (like receiving 10% off all plant purchases at Tree of Life) while also getting some great plant advice!
9:30 AM – Preparing Your Yard for Showtime
Mabel Alezard and Sarah Jayne, CNPS Fellow Award recipient and leader of the Orange County Chapter Garden Tour for 15 years provides simple points for dressing up your yard.
10:30 AM – Natives and Refined Veggies – Together!
Thea Gavin, local CNPS chapter board member and state CNPS Conservation Conference Poetry maven, is sharing secrets of success from the Concordia University Heritage Garden and her own home garden.
11:30 – The Best Regional Trees for Your Orange County Yard
Bob Huttar, Field Biologist and ISA Certified Arborist, will bridge the worlds of ecological benefits and landscape practicality.
1:30 PM – Why Use Native Plants
Brad Jenkins, former CNPS state and chapter president, will chat with attendees about the advantages of
increasing the use of native plants in urban yards, parks, and communities.
Featured Photo Credit: Sarah Bryant, Tree of Life Nursery ©