Going Native: Ecological Landscaping with Native Plants
Course | Registration opens 5/19/2025 8:00 AM EDT
Have you wondered what the excitement and buzz about native plants is about? Learn the how's and why's of this new way to landscape. Find out why native plants are important to our ecosystem and how our gardens fit into the scheme of things. Pick up new techniques for incorporating natives into your landscape. And discover some outstanding plants that will make your gardens a haven for wildlife and pollinators.
Michael Schmotzer
Michael Schmotzer was raised in an Army family spending several years in Europe. After serving in the Marine Corps, he worked in the Defense Contract Management Agency for thirty years. Schmotzer embarked on an extensive investigation of all things Waterloo (and Gettysburg) and would like to share it with like-minded students of history. He has a B.A. in European history from the College of William and Mary and a M.A. in the History of science from Montana State University.
Connie Schmotzer
Connie Schmotzer has been gardening with native plants for thirty years and finds that there is always something new and exciting to learn. She is retired from her job of twenty-two years as consumer horticulture educator for Penn State Extension, where she concentrated on gardening for pollinators. Prior to joining Penn State Extension, Connie taught school in Williamsburg, Virginia and worked as a naturalist with the National Park Service in Wyoming. She has a B.A. from Dickinson College and has done graduate work at Montana State. Her husband, Mike, is her partner in native gardening.