Date: April 9, 2024

Time: 2:00 p.m.

Location: Polk County Public Libraries, Saluda Branch

Speaker: Lisa Wagner, plant ecologist

Using plants in ways that create pleasing and attractive gardens can be as simple as using nature for your inspiration.  By including a diversity of native plants, focusing on species that support native insects, birds, and other wildlife, your landscape can become not only sustainable, but attractive and easily maintained.  Learn how to choose plants that naturally work together using a plant community approach, reflecting the aesthetic of natural Blue Ridge landscapes.

Lisa Wagner was the Director of Education at the South Carolina Botanical Garden, Clemson University for over 20 years. A plant ecologist by background (Ph.D. in Botany, UC Berkeley), she’s interested in native plants, ecological gardening, and promoting habitat restoration, as well as encouraging engagement and creativity in mid-life and beyond. She continues to do presentations and consultations as a volunteer, while continuing to be a keen gardener and committed writer about the natural world.  Her first blog, Natural Gardening (www.naturalgardening.blogspot.com) reflects her observations about gardening and the natural world. Her second blog, Places of the Spirit (www.placesofthespirit.blogspot.com) reflects sense of place and broader observations about being at home in the world.

Lisa and her husband Tim Spira spend roughly half the year in Asheville, NC, where they’ve surrounded their in-town house with native gardens. They spend the other half of the year at their cottage in Quebec, where they’re converting a horticultural landscape to a more naturalistic and native one.

The Saluda Library Speaker Series programs are made possible thanks to our partnership with the Polk County Public Libraries Systems and a grant from the Polk County Community Foundation.

Contact Pam Torlina, [email protected], with questions or for more information.