Community Corner

Iowa City Townhome Hosting Yard Tour On Converting Yard Space into Sustainable Native Plant Space

How can a diversity of Midwest native plants be beautifully arranged in an extremely small, highly visible, pesticide-free landscape?

Media Release

To help residents learn how to create beautiful yards that are low maintenance and benefit our environment, Backyard Abundance is hosting a free yard tour at the townhome of Judy Joyce at 903 Walker Circle in Iowa City from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, September 15. Refreshments will be served.

 

How can a diversity of Midwest native plants be beautifully arranged in an extremely small, highly visible, pesticide-free landscape?

Find out what's happening in Iowa Citywith free, real-time updates from Patch.

 

Neighbors Judy, Brian, and Adrienne answered that question last year as they converted long strips of turfgrass into an all-native oasis around their shared townhome in the Iowa City Peninsula Neighborhood. They would like to share their emerging success during this yard tour.

Find out what's happening in Iowa Citywith free, real-time updates from Patch.

 

Features and Learning Opportunities

·         Best native plants for small spaces.

·         Rain barrels to capture roof runoff for watering nearby plants.

·         Raised beds of native plants and vegetables.

·         Establishing low-growing buffalograss as a maintenance-free frame around native plants.

·         Preparing soil to go from turfgrass to native plants.

·         Raised rain garden that infiltrates roof runoff to water plants and increase the health of urban streams.

·         Tidy compost bins for creating free plant nutrients.

·         Xeriscaping: landscaping that reduces or eliminates the need for supplemental irrigation.

 

Experts from the Coralville-based Earthview Environmental will be ready to answer questions about native plants and stormwater management practices using rain gardens.

 

For more information visit www.BackyardAbundance.org or call 319-325-6810.

 


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

More from Iowa City