LECTURE: Low-Maintenance, High-Impact Natural Gardens: How to Work Less and Enjoy More

Tired of constant weeding, watering, and wrangling with runaway plants? In this uplifting and practical talk, we’ll explore how to create a beautiful, ecologically vibrant natural gardens that ask less of your time—and gives more back to you and the planet.

You’ll learn:

• How simplifying your plant palette leads to a healthier, easier-to-manage garden

• What plant traits to avoid (like aggressive self-seeding or rhizome spreaders)

• Why clump-forming, well-behaved perennials are your best low-maintenance allies

• How to define and manage “wild” zones for tougher species and volunteers

• Which groundcovers act like living mulch to suppress weeds naturally

• Why timing your mulch matters—and what materials truly feed your soil

Whether you’re starting fresh or refining an existing garden, you’ll leave with a toolkit of strategies and plant combinations, that reduce inputs, support biodiversity, and bring more joy to your gardening life.