Pollinators are essential for a thriving garden ecosystem, but often cannot access all of the elements they need to flourish and raise the next generation. Learn how you can create a beautiful low water “paradise” for bees, butterflies and other pollinators in your garden, and boost your fruit and vegetable yields in the process. Attendees will receive a free packet of California native wildflowers for pollinators to try out in their own gardens.

Jennifer Dirking has been an organic gardener for over 40 years, but only recently transformed her garden from a food desert to a habitat oasis in her suburban San Carlos neighborhood. Inspired by Doug Tallamy’s book Nature’s Best Hope, she has reached beyond her garden fence to develop partnerships and inspire hundreds of others throughout the Bay Area to begin their own native gardening journey. Her simple tactics involving free wildflower seeds and promotion via social media provide a model for other individuals and organizations that want to reach further into their communities as well. She is currently the Chair of the Wildflower Ambassador program at our CNPS Chapter.

Jennifer also manages the Native Plant Resource Teams’ Pollinator Pathways Group, a program of the Bringing Back the Natives Garden Tour. You can visit Jennifer’s garden on the Growing Natives Garden Tour on Saturday, April 13. Register for the tour at gngt.org.