This event has been canceled. Please check back for more garden tour opportunities in the future! 

 

Join us in exploring a home garden and meadow designed for native plants and pollinators!

PVAS Host: Penny Stritch, Larry Stritch

This is a free/donation-based program. This program is for adults. Registration is required and limited to 10 participants.

PVMN Continuing Education Credit Eligible

Join Penny and Larry Stritch for an educational tour through their garden in Martinsburg, which includes many native plants and was designed with pollinators in mind – and designed so that something is always blooming! If you love to learn about pollinators and their habitat, this is a tour you will not want to miss!

We encourage you to check out the recording and additional resources provided by Larry during his April 2024 presentation: Planning for Native Plants & Pollinators: https://www.potomacaudubon.org/education/adult/monthlyprograms/

• Walking Distance: Less than 1/2 mile total
• Pace/Activities: Leisurely (meandering, many breaks to stop and observe)
• Exposure: Be prepared for lots of sun/exposure.
• Terrain: Uneven ground, terraced garden.
• Restroom: Restrooms are unavailable for this program.
• Parking/Where to Meet: After registration, you will receive a confirmation email with the address to this private property.
• What to Bring: Participants should wear comfortable walking shoes and bring drinking water, a sun hat, and sunscreen.

Register Here!

Registration will remain open until the start of the program.

Read our pricing structure & policies.

About our Hosts:

Penny Stritch did not have gardening experience in her childhood, but did appreciate what little of nature she found in Cook County, Illinois Forest Preserves and on yearly summer camping trips.  She has always loved butterflies and photography, and was able to put the two of those together when the Stritch gardens started attracting lots of insects.  She has documented 67 different species of butterflies on their property.

Larry Stritch learned gardening as a young child from his mother and grandfather.  He earned a PhD in botany at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale in 1985.  He then worked for the Illinois Department of Conservation for a few years before switching to the U.S. Forest Service.  He was the National Botanist for the USFS from 1998 until his retirement in 2016.  Since moving to West Virginia in 1998, he has filled his yard with many trees and woody plants, and also flower gardens and a prairie project.  His two main goals are to have something in bloom at all times of the year and to attract pollinators.

 

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