Delaware Botanic Gardens sets native plants lecture Sept. 26

Delaware Botanic Gardens will present a lecture by Claudia West, planting designer and ecological sales manager at North Creek Nurseries  from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 26. West will discuss Wild and Neat: Native Plants that Bridge the Gap between Horticulture and Ecology at the Frankford Public Library. This lecture debunks the myth that natives are weedy and messy, and explores the aesthetic value of native plants in modern-day landscape situations.

The range of landscape styles and functional plantings created with native flora will fascinate attendees. Numerous design examples and plant combinations demonstrate the beauty, diversity and functionality created with regionally appropriate plants. Attendees will explore how native species grow in the wild and translate this knowledge into powerful design principles for landscaping. The attendance fee is $15, but DBG members attend free.

North Creek Nurseries is a wholesale perennial grower in Landenberg, Pa. West holds a master’s degree in landscape architecture and regional planning from the Technical University of Munich, Germany. In her current role, she concentrates on ecological design and restoration, offering consultation services from initial project planning stages to adaptive management strategies after project completion. Her work is centered on the development of stable, layered planting designs and the desire to bring American native plants back into the landscape by making them widely acceptable. West is a sought-after speaker on topics such as plant community-based design and the application of natural color theories to planting design. Together with co-author Thomas Rainer, she will publish a new approach to ecological planting design in her first book, "Planting in a Post-Wild World" this fall.

The following presentations round out Delaware Botanic Gardens' 2015-16 lecture series. Delaware Botanic Gardens Director of Horticulture Gregg Tepper will discuss Great Hardy Native Ferns for the Garden Saturday, Oct. 17. Daryl Kobesky, plant production manager of Pleasant Run Nursery, Allentown, N.J., will present Creating a Lively Garden Saturday, Feb. 20. Susan Yost will present Edible and Medicinal Wild Plants Saturday, April 16. Horticulturist John Feliciani, will lead a workshop on Propagating Plants by Softwood Cuttings Saturday, June 18.

For more information, go to delawaregardens.org.