Organizations hosting native plants workshop

CLEVELAND — The National Wildlife Federation (NWF) Sacred Grounds and the Meadow City Native Plant Nursery are hosting a native plants workshop called Bringing Nature Home later this month.

The event is from 6 to 7:30 p.m. on Aug. 20, 2024 at the Galilean Theological Center located at 2226 West 89^th St. in Cleveland, according to a press release from the Cuyahoga Soil & Water Conservation District (SWCD).

“Attendees will learn the benefits of native plants and an overview about designing, installing, and maintaining beautiful native wildflower gardens,” the release reads. “The first 40 registrants will receive a ready-to-plant FREE native plant kit. Meadow City Native Plant Nursery will have additional plants available for purchase.”

The release states that the SWCD has worked alongside NWF Sacred Grounds to “bring native habitat to houses of worship in Cuyahoga County.” The Meadow City Native Plant Nursery started participating in 2022.

Each site, according to the release, is offered $1,500 to transition a part of their land to native plant life. The other part of the program is the Bringing Nature Home workshops.

“Native plant species are better suited to the local environment, establish faster and are hardier,” the release reads. “They require less water, fertilizer, pesticide and can help to control stormwater and erosion with their long root systems. In addition, native plants are low-maintenance, and the long-term upkeep is dramatically less costly than turf grass. They also provide habitat suitable to native animals.”

You can register for the workshop here.