Replace Your Lawn!

Get rid of that expensive water-guzzling, care-intensive lawn, to make way for a gorgeous native landscape!  We are presenting our Replace Your Lawn (RYL) workshop series in a four part installment about the basics of converting your lawn into a beautiful, carefree, sustainable habitat.

These workshops will be held SATURDAYS at 9:30, beginning July 6, 2013. We are OPEN Saturdays in July, August and Sept only half day from 8AM-12 noon. Come early to beat the heat!

July 6 – RYL I: Tour of Nursery and Gardens
July 13 – RYL II: Kill the Grass
July 20 – RYL III: Design Elements – California Cottage gardens with Native Plants
July 27 – RYL IV: Creating and Caring for your California Native Garden

These workshops are FREE of charge and each session lasts about 40 minutes to an hour, (depending on questions!).  Hopefully you will be able to attend each of the sessions at least once.  No reservations are required. More details after the jump.

Saturday, July 6, 2013 – 9:30 AM
Replace Your Lawn I: Tour of Nursery and Gardens

Do you have friends and family in town for 4th of July?  Want to get ideas for your native garden? Two birds, one stone — come to the nursery and see one of OC’s greatest treasures while researching native plant choices for your water-saving garden. Come check out our nursery gardens to see full grown native landscapes and bring the binoculars and friends to watch birds and butterflies galore. We have tons of flowers right now, so bring the camera too. Come get inspired for your native garden and enjoy a beautiful and informative tour! Join us!

Saturday, July 13, 2013 – 9:30 AM
Replace Your Lawn II:  Killing the Grass

Ladies and gentlemen, we are gathered here today to acknowledge the loss of our lawns. 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 you turf type, budget, and timeline.

Download the handout: Replace Your Lawn: Kill the grass!

Saturday, July 20, 2013 – 9:30 AM
Replace Your Lawn III:  California Cottage Design with Native Plants

Third in a four-part series about Replacing your Lawn. Designer in Residence, Susan Trindle of A Native Garden, Inc, will speak about California Cottage garden design.  The lecture will include the design elements that define a cottage garden style and how they can be achieved with California native plants.  Come early and tour Tree of Life’s display areas and retail center and get a chance to win a copy of a book on Gertrude Jekyll’s designs. Susan will discuss design elements, plant selection and combinations for eye pleasing style and habitat for our furry, feathered and flighted friends.

Saturday, July 27, 2013 – 9:30 AM

Replace Your Lawn III:  Creating and Caring for your Native Garden

Second in a four-part series about Replacing your Lawn. Now that you have killed your grass, what are supposed to do?  Mike Evans will share from our booklet, “Creating and Caring for your Native Garden”, that you can download here.  Learn how to create a thriving native garden.  For a really great plant list to get you started download the handout: Thirty Basic California Native Plants

DIY Lawn Removal and – Go native!