Native Plant Landscaping Workshop

Would you like to learn how to attract wildlife to your yard?  Native plant landscaping has been the subject of research projects, books, and workshops for more than 40 years.  However, many homeowners are wary of incorporating native plants into their traditional landscaping.  The Nature Institute has invited native plant landscaping experts to teach workshops on how to get started with native plants in your yard.  Join us to learn about how to find, plant, and care for native plants in your next landscaping project.

Charlie Pitts is an amateur naturalist who re-entered the naturalist world through the University of Illinois Extension’s Master Naturalist program in 2012. Since then he has volunteered at numerous local Illinois and Missouri conservation projects. Currently he is a member of the Illinois State Master Naturalist Advisory Board and an advisor with St. Louis Audubon’s Bring Conservation Home service. He and a team of Master Naturalists and Master Gardeners are in their fourth year of managing a 1000 square foot native-plant only pollinator garden located at the O’Fallon Community Garden, a project of the O’Fallon Garden Club. This native plant pollinator garden’s purpose is to showcase how natives can fit into ‘conventional’ home landscapes and provide blooming flowers every month of the year. The garden currently has 57 native species and over 200 plants, with plans to add another 20 species this year. His and his Master Gardener wife, Annie Skaggs’, own gardens are Monarch Watch certified monarch way-stations, certified Wild Ones Native Plant Gardens, and a Bring Conservation Home silver level native plant and animal habitat. Their gardens range from traditional ornamental plants such as roses and hostas to all native plants.