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Native Perennials Workshop
January 7, 2023 @ 10:00 am - 12:00 pm
Free – $40This workshop is being offered on a sliding scale from $0-$40; please pay what fits in your budget. The event will be held at MOFGA’s Education Center in Unity, Maine. Snow date: January 14th.
Join Gene Ripley of Ripley Farm in Dover-Foxcroft to dive into the world of beautiful & pollinator-friendly native perennials!
The workshop will begin with conversation about the value of native plants in cultivated landscapes and an overview of Gene’s twenty favorite plants native to Maine. Ripley Farm is literally abuzz with bumblebees, Monarch butterflies, and other native pollinators and Gene will share the top native plants that draw in the most pollinators to his farm. Native plants also provide food, medicine and pollinator and other wildlife habitat, along with four seasons of beauty in the home landscape.
Then we’ll discuss the advantages of winter seed-starting and plant some perennials from seed. January may seem like an unexpected time to plant seeds – but at Ripley Family Farm they seed most of their native plants between December and February.
Many native seeds benefit from a period of consistent moist, cold temperatures (a period of winter dormancy) before they will germinate. And since our gardening schedules are generally more open in winter this can be the best time for this job. Plus, there is no better mid-winter pick-me-up than planting seeds and the promise of new life!
Bring your work gloves because Gene will be bringing seed from his native plant nursery to share, so all participants can plant and bring home a selection of seeded pots to set outside (under protection from critters) for the remainder of the winter.
This class has filled, but if you’re interested please email [email protected] to join the waitlist!
*Registration is limited to 20 people.
Questions? Email [email protected]
