We can make big improvements in the habitat our properties provide by the choices we make in landscape design and plant choice.  Better homegrown habitat is a way for people to help reverse the decline in insect, bird, amphibian and other animal populations.  This class will help you better understand the ecological functioning of your landscape and what you can do to improve it.  You will learn practical techniques, conceptual frameworks, explore sources of support, and discuss issues with experts.  We will combine classroom and field sessions to ensure hands-on learning.  Class participants will be able to purchase Piedmont Native Plants, 2nded as a reference that we will use in the field.

INSTRUCTORS:

Eric Venclik

Eric, a graduate of the University of Guelph in Canada, has devoted much of his career to residential landscape design.

An avid outdoorsman, Eric combines his extensive knowledge of natural systems with comprehensive design and construction experience to create functional landscapes. With every project, his goal is to maximize opportunities for memorable human-nature experiences with projects ranging from roof top terraces to large country estates.

Daniel Robey

Daniel is the owner and founder of Huntlands Landscape Architecture. His design aesthetic draws from a combination of experiences ranging from his upbringing in Leesburg, Virginia to past work experiences in historic Charleston, South Carolina.

Daniel is a native of Loudoun County and still resides in the western part of the county with his family. Daniel received a bachelor’s degree in Landscape Architecture from Clemson University in 2002 and is a licensed, professional landscape architect in Virginia.

Janet Davis

Janet Davis is the primary operator of Hill House Farm & Nursery. She received her Bachelor’s Degree in Horticulture from Virginia Tech and has spent the last 28 years working in various horticultural pursuits—from apple orchards to greenhouses—all the while spending as much time as possible hiking in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains. Her time spent in “the woods” fostered her passion for our native flora and plant communities, and spurred her desire to learn more about native plants.

 Janet has operated a landscape design-install-care business for the past 25 years, and focuses on incorporating native plants into garden settings and “managed” areas while employing sustainable garden techniques. After starting a family and desiring to be at home more, Janet started her greenhouse/nursery business, Hill House Farm & Nursery, which grows and sells only native plants, primarily natives and select cultivars that occur naturally in the Mid-Atlantic region.

Mike Wenger

Mike is a Certified Master Naturalist with the Old Rag Master Naturalist Chapter, on the leadership team of The Blue Ridge PRSIM (Partnership for Regional Invasive Species Management), and the board of RLEP (Rappahannock League for Environmental Protection).  He has worked with multiple public organizations on controlling invasive plants and replacing them with natives. And he has been working to restore a more balanced natural habitat on his own slice of our shared forest in Rappahannock since coming to live in the county.