Make reservations for native plants seminar

Submitted by Garfield Farm Museum

Reservations for Garfield Farm Museum’s 26th annual Prairie, Woodlands, and Wetlands Management Seminar to be held from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 18 are now being taken.

From backyard gardeners, homeowner associations to owners of natural area acreage, this seminar covers all the key methods and techniques of preserving and using the best adapted plants for the Illinois environment.

Experts Jack Pizzo, John Engstrom, Conner Shaw and Jerome Johnson will help explain the best techniques and methods to increase and maintain native plant communities. There is a $50 donation for the all-day seminar which includes lunch and refreshments. Two presentations only is $25.

The day’s outline will consist of researching property history, identifying native plants, identifying invasive species and the use of fire, herbicides, cutting and brush stacking equipment. Special topics include, managing ponds and common areas and the use of native trees and shrubs.

Jack Pizzo of Pizzo & Associates, Ltd. of Leland, Ill., will speak on “Managing Natural Areas and Ponds — A Primer for the Landowner and Homeowners Association.” His firm is one of the few that can deal with small to large scale management and restoration issues.

All wild plants and animals are not equal when it comes to the natural world. A plant or insect from half way around the world might be a bigger threat in its new location than where it originated. Conner Shaw knows what trees and shrubs can thrive here and provide a food source for animals.

Shaw is one of the few people who collects seed from the wild and can grow native Illinois trees and shrubs like few others. Since 1978, his Possibilities Place Nursery in Monee, Ill., is one of a kind.

For homeowners in town who want just the right tree for their backyard, Shaw knows what will grow in such suburban conditions. For larger properties, his combinations of native shrubs like the viburnums and deciduous oaks or Kentucky coffee trees makes one’s landscaping truly grand scale.

For property owners who are looking to turn the backyard in to a natural area to large acreage owners, Johnson and John Engstrom will bring their years of experience to the table.

Jerome Johnson, executive director and museum biologist, grew up walking the fields, woods, and streams around Garfield Farm. With the addition of Engstrom as natural area manager to the museum’s staff, Engstrom’s knowledge of chemical control methods has complemented Johnson’s increased use of mechanical means to aid the classic use of controlled burns. Their combined management experience will offer the property owners or aspiring volunteer restorationists the necessary tools to be successful and avoid reinventing the wheel.

Participants are welcome to return in March to gain hands-on experience in the museum’s controlled burns. Garfield Farm Museum is located five miles west of Geneva, off Route 38 on Garfield Road. For reservations call (630) 584-8485 or email info@garfieldfarm.org.