sheila pictureThe Ugly Gardener
                        2010 Backyard Conservation Conference

The annual conference is approaching quickly! Print the Agenda/Registration Form  to mail, and see what break-out sessions are available.

 
10:15 Sessions 

1. What a Pane: How to make and use cold frames  by Sindra Jensen, Earth Team volunteer, Bridgewater
 Extend your growing season with cold framers. learn how to make your own from recycled material such as window panes and lumber.

2. Three Sisters Gardens, by Sheila O'Riley, Coordinator, Adams County Backyard Conservation Team, Lenox - Many Native American groups believed that when corn, beans and squash (Three Sisters) were grown together in a hill, they enhanced and supported each other. Learn from the wisdom of Native Americans and of the lore of the Three Sisters. 

3. Native Prairies of Adams County—Our Endangered Natural Landscapes  by Rick and Julie Schafer, BYC Volunteers, Prescott - Rick and Julie will share pictures of the many natural prairie remnants they've discovered in Adams County. Enjoy the beauty of the forbs (wildflowers) and grasses that once covered nearly every acre of our state.

4. Whimsical Paver Project, a make and take workshop,  by Judy Jenkins, Earth Team volunteer, Omaha - Make a cute from from inexpensive patio pavers and crafting material. Take it home to hang out on the porch, in the backyard, or hold a door open. There is an extra $5 fee for material to be paid at the workshop. Limit 10. (Repeated in #11)

5. Piecing Together a Quilt Garden  by Jane Hogue, Prairie Pedlar, Odebolt - Using perennials or annual flowers, gardeners can sow color and texture into the landscape, combining the homespun country charm of quilts with the pleasure of gardening.

6. Dirt! The Movie facilitated by Brian Peterson, Earth Team Volunteer, Corning www.dirtthemovie.org - This film takes you inside the wonders of the soil. It tells the story ofEarth's most valuable and under-appreciated source of fertility - from its miraculous beginning to its crippling degradation.

7. Sustainable Landscaping, by Barbara Stuckey, Turf and Landscape Management, IWCC. What is it and why is it important? Get the answers at this informative session on residential storm water containment ideas, sustainable landscapes (residential or commercial_ and more! (Repeated in #14)

11:15 Sessions 

8. Creative Containers by Donna West, Earth Team volunteer, Corning - Donna likes to express her creativity through her container gardens. She'll inspire you to create beautiful combinations in unusual containers.

9. Concepts of Harvesting Rain Water, by Wayne Shafer, NRCS, Winterset, and daughter, Halla Shafer - Wayne and halla will cover construction of different types, sizes and concepts or rain catchment containers/vessels. Plus maintenance of systems, uses of captured water, volume calculations, economics, mosquitoes, roof surfaces, bases/platforms, and more.

10. Water Plants - In the Pond and Beyond! by Lori Hunt, Pondibilities, Malvern - Let's explore a fascinating array of water plants and all the ways you can use them to enhance your pond, patio and outdoor living space. Start a love affair with lotus, create a miniature bowl garden with just the right plants, or grow a pygmy water lily. (Repeated in #17)

11. Whimsical Paver Project, a make and take workshop,Limit 10. (Repeat of session 4)

12.  Growing and Using Herbs, by Jane Hogue, Prairie Pedlar, Odebolt - A discussion of more than eight herbal theme gardens will reveal the unique diversity of this group of plants. A dose of herbal folklore and revelations of herbal remedies make herb gardening a passionate hobby. herbs have the fragrant, flavorful, and colorful capacity to delight our senses and enhance all aspects of our lives, from our gardens and our homes to our food and our spirits.


13. Community Based Food Systems in Southwest Iowa, by Bahia Barry, Local Food Coordinator, Golden Hills RC&D, Council Bluffs -Join Bahia to discuss local food and how it can influence school lunches, community health and well-being, economic development, and cultural traditions.

14.  Sustainable Landscaping (repeat of #7)

2:00 Sessions 
15. Good Bugs for Your Garden by Donald Lewis, ISU Entomologist, Ames - Many of the insects we see (and many more that we don't) in the home garden are beneficial, a broad term that implies they do more ecological good than harm. But do they many any difference to the home gardener? And is there anything we can do to encourage and benefit from their presence?

16. No-Work, No-Till Gardening, by Sheila O'Riley, Coordinator, Adams County Backyard Conservation Team, Lenox - Sheila will show you how to build a garden with layers of mulch to smother existing vegetation and plant directly into the mulch. It is a great Backyard conservation practice utilizing composting, mulching, water conservation, soil conservation, and fertilizer and herbicide reduction.

17. Water Plants -In the Pond and Beyond! (repeat of #10)

Agenda
Click HERE for printable brochure.

9:00  Registration, Exhibits, Vendors Refreshments 

10:00  Welcome by Sheila O’Riley, Coordinator, Adams County Backyard Conservation Team  
   Reclaiming Stewardship video

10:15 Breakout Sessions 
see list at right

11:15 Breakout Sessions 
see list at left

Noon:  Lunch, Exhibits, Vendors
Exhibits/Vendors close at 1:00

1:00  The Art of Gardening, by Jane Hogue, Prairie Pedlar Gardens - applying four basic elements of design - space, texture, shape, and color, all gardeners can achieve balance, harmony and unity in their backyards. Includes suggestions for garden design, plant selection, under plantings, blooming sequences, and successful floral combinations to achieve continuous color.

2:00  Breakout Sessions
see list at right and below

3:00  Discover Yourself in the Garden, by Sheila O'Riley, Coordinator, Adams County Backyard Conservation Team. Sheila tells what she learned about herself in her gardens and how you can discover yourself, too.

3:15  Closing Remarks and Door Prizes
Registration information:

Pre-Registration Fee: $20/participant or $30/couple from same household.      Lunch and refreshments included. Pre-Registration is due by March 21st  

Late registrations and walk-ins are welcome at an additional fee of $5/person.

 Please make checks payable to: Adams County BYC Team

Send Registration Form and Fee to: Adams County BYC Team, 2243 Loomis Ave Ste 2, Corning IA 50841

When registering, include your name, address, and 1st and 2nd choices for each breakout session.

Click HERE for registration form.

2:00 Sessions, cont.


18. Make Your Own Natural Skin Care Products,by Beverly Bender, Earth Team Volunteer, Lenox - Gardeners spend so much time outdoors, they tend to get chapped hands and lips. See a demonstration on how to make your own natural skin care products.

19. Planting for Perennial Perfection, by Jane Hogue, Prairie Pedlar, Odebolt - Jane highlights the Prairie Pedlar's ten-most-wanted perennials list, discusses plant selections for continuous blooming succession, and mixes in some charming plant lore that will personalize some of the best plants available.

20. Restore Native Trees, by Mark DePoy, Coordinator, Southern Iowa RC&D, Creston - Many of our trees such as American chestnut, American elm, white walnut, and flowering dogwood have been completely or partially lost due to foreign fungus and insect pathogens. Mark will tell us how urban and rural people can restore these native trees.

21. Conservation Habits = Healthy Habitats, by Matt Dollison, NRCS Wildlife Biologist, Atlantic - This is the theme for Stewardship Week beginning April 25th. Many conservation habits help conserve water, provide shelter for animals, birds and insects as well as increase their food supply. Learn what you can do for healthy habitats and how yhou can help educate others such as our youth.