Learn techniques for replacing lawn with native plants with Master Gardener Merikay Smith. Whether you are a native plant enthusiast or just starting, share ways to improve the habitat of our gardens.

Topics covered include defining native plants and their benefits, a simple layering process to kill lawn and create beds, design options, example native plants for various conditions, native trees, no-mow areas, avoiding invasive plants, resources and more.

Merikay Smith -  Became a Maryland Master Gardener in 2007 and has led the MCMG Speakers' Bureau. She is a frequently requested speaker on a variety of topics. Merikay is a Board member of Latter-day Saint Earth Stewardship, launching their first local chapter in 2016. Check out the native plant garden they've created at historic Pleasant View here: http://www.eartheast.org. She has helped mentor an additional 11 new chapters doing earth stewardship across the globe. Merikay has also served many years on the Boards of both the Muddy Branch Alliance and Seneca Creek Stewardship Partners, recently as president of SCWP.

UME Master Gardeners are volunteers who combine their love of plants, people, and the environment to help residents in their communities solve problems and make environmentally-sound decisions. They support the University of Maryland Extension (UME) mission by educating residents about safe, effective and sustainable horticultural practices that build healthy gardens, landscapes, and communities. The UME Master Gardener Program began in 1978 as a means to extend science-based knowledge to the general public by providing horticultural and pest management expertise to help protect and improve Maryland’s natural resources. Today, this popular program can be found in 20 Maryland counties and Baltimore City. 

Take a look at these resources about Lawns and Native plants.

Questions about this program? Contact the branch at (240) 777-0970.