Calendar of Events and Programs

Program Description: The increasing interest in growing food by way of edible landscaping has led to new ideas about what to put in the traditional flower garden. Edible landscaping offers an alternative to conventional landscaping and can be just as attractive while also producing food. Many native species have been used in some way as food in the past. This program is intended to guide you in some things you might plant around your home, which are available in the native nursery trade. The program will also include edible weeds which are likely to sprout up in urban areas and disturbed rural sites. Gale will also recommend integrating into the edible landscape, plants that provide food and/or habitat to birds, bees, butterflies, and other creatures. She believes that if the beneficial insects and native species are well-fed, your yield will be more robust, and you?ll also have more choices for harvest. Plus, the ripple effect of a well-balanced garden that feeds more than just you is a healthier ecosystem and healthier planet.

Presenter: Gale E. Martin, owner of Natives in Harmony Nursery near Marengo Ohio, is also a trustee on the Ohio Prairie Association Board of Trustees. The Ohio Prairie Association encourages restoration, establishment and conservation of native prairies and prairie gardens within Ohio.?Gale believes that the preservation of local-genotypes is of the utmost importance. Gale wants to convert others to natives by offering high quality, genetically appropriate native forbs and grasses as well as providing the expertise to use and care for them. Gale is also currently the director of the Marion County Historical Society, a position she has held for over 11 years. Before accepting the position with MCHS, Gale was the education specialist for the Morrow County Soil and Water Conservation District and a part-time naturalist at the Mount Gilead State Park where she still helps out from time to time.