Join Lopez, Orcas Garden Clubs for native plant discussion

||| FROM ORCAS ISLAND ISLAND GARDEN CLUB |||

Master Gardener Jane Wentworth

Please join Lopez Island Garden Club and Orcas Island Garden Club on Wednesday, January 17, 2024 when we welcome Master Gardener Jane Wentworth to tell us about using native plants in the garden to enhance biodiversity and add to our plant palette.  

More than two-thirds of the 334 million people living in the United States actively garden or have an interest in plants.  Many insects such as butterflies and bees have disappeared or are at risk due to habitat loss, diseases and pesticide use.  The ways in which we live and garden have important effects on our environment and our future. Imagine our gardens belonging more in their setting and reflecting the essential natural world, where native plants welcome and support wildlife from bees to birds. Beauty goes beyond aesthetic, there is an allure in natural and functional relationships that take place in a more dynamic and lively space. 

Jane will discuss what is a native plant, reasons to plant native plants, and how to choose native plants for your gardens. 

Jane earned a master’s degree in Botany from the University of Washington in 1994 after conducting four years of demographic research on the Golden Paintbrush (Castilleja levisecta).  She has worked for the Washington Natural Heritage Program, conducting field surveys and preparing conservation reports; created and managed the King County Noxious Weed Control program; and prepared a Noxious Weed Management Plan for San Juan County.  She is a life member of the Washington Native Plant Society and long-ago past vice-president on the Washington Native Plant Society Board (WNPS). Jane moved to San Juan Island in 2011; served as local WNPS chapter chair; completed the Master Gardener Training in 2013; and coordinated the SJ County Master Gardener Foundation’s annual Native Plant Sale for several years. She teaches the Native Plants Class for the Master Gardener Training Program.  Jane enjoys gardening and loves to explore the islands with her husband Keith.

The presentation begins at 10 am at the Orcas Center and will be followed by social time. The presentation will also be available via zoom. For a link to the live zoom presentation go to the Orcas Island Garden Club website and click the link below the list of presentations. The presentation will be recorded. To watch the recorded presentation, go to the link ‘recorded presentations’ under resources on the club website. Garden club presentations are free and open to the public.