Wildlife-friendly gardening class - free with registration

The beauty of songbirds, butterflies, and beneficial insects is ample reason to create a wildlife-friendly garden, but there is so much more to the picture…

Wildlife-friendly gardening for beauty and sustainability, Tuesday, September 29, 2015, 6:30-8pm at North City Water District, 1519 NE 177th Street in Shoreline.

By taking wildlife into consideration, your home garden can have a positive impact on the wildlife value of the “green corridors” in urban and suburban neighborhoods throughout the Puget Sound region.

When these corridors provide good habitat for resident and migratory birds, beneficial insects, and other wildlife, they will in turn provide natural pest and weed control for the gardens within it, increasing health and sustainability while decreasing maintenance.

Emily Bishton

This class will provide you with information about tried-and-true plants, design techniques, and maintenance practices that will attract and nurture the kinds of wildlife that become a benefit to your whole garden.

The presentation will include a PowerPoint slideshow, a display of nest boxes and other materials, plus handouts on how to provide the four basic needs for wildlife and a “Top 10″ list of wildlife-friendly plants.

Light snacks including fresh fruit, crackers and coffee/teas will be available.

Class is free but you must register to attend by sending an email or calling the water district office at 206-362-8100.

The presentor, Emily Bishton, is a landscape designer and educator who has designed sustainable landscapes throughout the Seattle area since 1997. She specializes in wildlife-friendly and child-friendly gardens, edible landscapes, and in teaching clients how to use organic practices to install and maintain their gardens.

Her public landscape projects have included the Magnuson Community Center Bird-Friendly Landscape and Resource Conservation Landscape, the Orca at Whitworth School Garden, and Bradner Gardens Park Winter Interest Garden.

Emily is also the Director and Lead Instructor for Magnuson Nature Programs, which provides hands-on outdoor gardening and nature education for children, adults, and families.