Recently I had the pleasure of attending a presentation by horticulturalist Jeff Epping, entitled: "From Lawn to Life: Creating Beautiful Eco-Friendly Gardens". 

Jeff's presentation was packed with helpful insight and information. Here are just a few of Jeff's tips for creating and managing an eco-friendly garden -- one that is drought-resistant, free of chemicals, and teeming with life. 

Jeff's home gardening and conservation tips

1) Use leaf mulch instead of wood mulch. 

2) Grow gardens composed of at least 70 percent native plants. 

3) Plant keystone tree species of native oak, willow, or cherry. 

4) Swap out the traditional bluegrass lawn for low-maintenance fescue. 

5) Remember, weeds are okay, and "lawn = yawn". 

Looking for some help selecting native plants? Check out wildflower.org. For fescues, Jeff recommends the Earth Carpet Care-Free Lawn Seed Blend from La Crosse Seed, and the No Mow Lawn Seed Mix from prairienursery.com. 

Podcasts and YouTube channels for learning more: 

All of these online resources come highly recommended by Jeff. 

• The Native Plant Podcast 
• The Growing Greener Podcast 
• A Way to Garden Podcast 
• The Joe Gardener Show 
• Roy Diblik's YouTube Channel  
• Wild One, Native Plants, Natural Landscapes YouTube Channel 
• Xerces Society YouTube Channel 

We would love to here about your own experience with eco-friendly gardening. Feel free to share your tips and photos with us. Who knows, maybe you'll make it into our next newsletter :)