Summer is on the way, and lawn and garden work lay ahead for Palouse residents.
With this in mind, the City of Moscow will host a seminar on Pollinators, Plants and Wisescapes, so that residents in the region may learn more about pollination and efficient planting. The event will take place 6:30-8:30 p.m. May 13 at the 1912 Center.
The event will feature three speakers: Steve Sheppard of Washington State University, and Pam Brunsfeld and Paul Warnick of the University of Idaho. Sheppard will discuss the basics of pollinators, Brunsfeld will discuss what plants do well in the region and Warnick will discuss Xeriscape — also known as Wisescape — gardens and applying them in a home garden setting.
Water Conservation Program Coordinator Nichole Baker organized the event, and said the goal is to educate the community and inspire them to make water-efficient changes to their lawns.
“The city very much believes that you can have diversity in your yard,” Baker said.
Baker collaborated with Palouse-Clearwater Environmental Institute Education Outreach Coordinator Heather Huston on the event. Huston will be the master of ceremonies at the seminar. Huston said the event came as a result of wanting to educate the community about lawn and garden efficiency and diversity.
“So we wanted to pair educating the community about the good guys, the pollinators out here and about native species which naturally require less water (and) are better adept to our area, region, climate (and) do better with less water,” Huston said. “And educate folks about perennials — flowers that provide different texture and colors that also ultimately will do better with less maintenance because they’ll require less water.”
Huston said the Moscow Public Library hosted a similar event on pollinators in 2013 and it was well attended. She said she and Baker hope to draw similar attendance for this seminar.
Baker said some ways residents can make their lawns more efficient and diverse includes lawn design and resources and choosing the right plants.
“We do like to educate others to use more water-efficient plants,” Baker said. “So, reduced resources, proper design, putting plants together that use the same amount of water, using plants that use less water, considering the micro-climates in your yard.”
Baker said efficiency is key, especially since overspray of sprinklers onto sidewalks is prohibited under city ordinance.
Huston said the event is an educational opportunity for the region.
“I think it’s a really neat opportunity, it’s an educational opportunity,” Huston said. “We’ve got a rich culture, rich knowledge in both the Moscow and Pullman communities as well as surrounding areas. So, it’s a really neat opportunity where anyone’s welcome to learn more or just begin learning about pollinators and plants that do well in this area that require little water.”
Andrew Jenson can be reached at [email protected]