Are you ready to convert lawn into habitat? Are you seeking an approach that is calmer to the eye with a native plant palette that is shorter than traditional meadows? Join fellow native garden enthusiasts to learn about versatile native sedges and to activate our collaborative design as part of a lawn to sedge meadow conversion on the Homefields grounds!
Our collaborative planting project will use native landscape plugs grown from volunteer Matt Dilley and Kind Earth Growers. Please bring your favorite hand digging trowel, gloves, water bottle, and sturdy shoes. Participants will receive free native landscape plugs as a thank you for rebuilding biodiversity at Homefields!
Elyse Jurgen, owner of Waxwing EcoWorks Co., is a community collaborator working to rebuild ecological literacy and biodiversity through hands-on ecological gardening experiences in South Central PA.
She is certified as a Chesapeake Bay Landscape Professional and Ecological/Permaculture Designer, along with earning an Ecological Gardening Certification from Mt. Cuba Center. She has a Master's Degree in Environmental Education, 7-12 Biology Teaching Certification, and participated in Cornell University's Civic Ecology program.
Elyse coordinates the Lancaster Schoolyard Habitat program, facilitates an Ecological Gardener Training, and also works alongside homeowners in a participatory approach to their gardening for wildlife needs, infusing educational opportunities during the design, installation, and stewarding process. She invites homeowners to deeply engage with their land to maximize its potential in enhancing human well-being and supporting dwindling wildlife populations.