Facilitated by Courtney Denning, the event will be held indoors at the library on Sept. 6. Denning, a garden designer with Deeply Rooted Landscapes, told the Springfield News-Sun she will be focusing on the importance of saving seeds and the effect that can have on wildlife.
“We focus on native plants as a company, so I’m going to be focusing about why it’s important to save seeds, how it connects people to the natural world, preserves native and local plant diversity, and supports wildlife,” Denning said.
It’s an easy and low-cost way for people to grow plants, she said.
“If you want to get started with native gardening but the cost of getting started is prohibitive, saving seeds and collecting them from local areas is a good way to get started,” Denning said.
Seed saving has been done by humans for millennia, according to Denning. She plans to bring a number of native plants from her yard to the workshop, including yarrow and lance-leaf coreopsis among others.
“Native plants are the bottom of the food chain for all wildlife, so if we don’t have native plants for insects to eat, then we don’t have enough food for them, and they are food for lots of wildlife in our yards, too,” Denning said.
One of their catchphrases at Deeply Rooted Landscapes is, “Your yard is habitat,” which points to how native plant gardens can support local biodiversity.
“We’re always focusing on ways to help people create more wildlife habitat in their yards, and native plants are the best way to do that,” Denning said.
Local, native plants are best adapted to grow in the landscapes they originate from, Denning said. Because of their relationships with other plants and wildlife, they are also more resilient than invasive species would be.
The workshop will also touch on the benefits of gardening. For Denning, one major plus is seeing the great diversity of wildlife right in her own front yard.
While some go to a national or state park to connect with nature, you can still get those experiences right outside your door.
“You can also experience nature in wonder and awe in your yard, in your local parks, in places by observing beautiful flowers and insects and wildlife that come to visit them,” Denning said.
An official at the library echoed Denning’s sentiment, hoping those who attend the workshop leave ready to start saving seeds themselves.
Catie Stewart, adult programming specialist at the library, said the workshops conducted by Deeply Rooted Landscapes are connected to the library’s goals for the community.
“To be able to grow their own food, their own flowers, and specifically grow things that are native to Ohio,” Stewart said about the workshop’s prospective takeaways. “It’s open to everyone, but I think teens and up will get the most out of it.”
The workshop will be hosted in the library’s Gaeir Room from 11 a.m. to noon on Sept. 6. Online registration is required to attend and can be done at ccplohio.org.
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