Landscape for Life™
Develop an environmentally-friendly landscape plan for your yard

Date:  Wednesday evenings, March 5 to April 9
Time:  5:30 pm – 7:30 pm
Cost:  $100
Instructors:  Eileen Boyle & Margaret Shillingford, Mt. Cuba Center

This educational six-week series instructs homeowners on how to create and maintain healthy and beautiful landscapes by working with nature. The good news is that even one home garden can begin to repair the web of life. It is possible to create a great–looking garden that’s healthier for you, your family, pets, and the environment - and that saves you time and money.

Based on the principles of the Sustainable Sites Initiative, these classes explore the role of soils, water, vegetation, and materials in a sustainable landscape. Be prepared to take the basic measurements of your suburban lot or bring your site plan to the first session. These measurements and plans will be used in an exercise applying these principles to your own landscape.

The Sustainable Sites Initiative (SITES) is an interdisciplinary effort by the American Society of Landscape Architects, the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, and the United States Botanic Garden to create voluntary national guidelines and performance benchmarks for sustainable land design, construction, and maintenance practices (similar to LEED certification in buildings). This class adds Mt. Cuba Center’s perspective to the Landscape for Life series helping you to cultivate the best landscape practices for the Mid-Atlantic Region.

Eileen Boyle is the director of education and research at Mt. Cuba Center. Previously she was the director of horticulture at the Philadelphia Zoo and the New York Botanical Garden. She has also worked as a horticulture professor, an administrator for the New York City’s parks, and for the USDA.

Margaret Shillingford is the education coordinator at Mt. Cuba Center. During her 20 plus year career in agricultural research, Margaret was also  a docent at Mt. Cuba Center and pursued a Masters in Education.