Foundation Gardens That Say 'Welcome Home' to Native Plants with Landscape Designer Kathy Connolly

Do you want to change the plantings around your house?  Would you like to incorporate native plants that, for the most part, are less problematic and need little maintenance?

Darien Library, along with Darien Nature Center and Darien Pollinator Pathway, welcomes landscape designer and lecturer, Kathy Connolly, who will address your house's foundation plants, those plants you put around the house, close to the walls, under the windows, and beside the doors for the perfect blend of house and property.

In this one-hour presentation, Kathy will first consider the design problems posed by the foundation area around homes and other buildings. Then she will look at native plants that fit into that highly visible setting. The foundation garden need not be a bastion of imports such as pachysandra and boxwood!

Among regional native plants, there are flowering perennials, shrubs, grasses, trees, and ferns that both provide habitat for birds and pollinators as well as a pleasing appearance. Kathy will take a look at how we can achieve curb appeal and support nature in the foundation area of our homes and community buildings.

About the Presenter

Kathy Connolly is a Connecticut-based landscape designer, writer, and speaker who emphasizes earth-friendly designs, native plants, and low-impact land care techniques.  

Her design services include landscape assessments, comprehensive plans, plant research, and project management and her specialties include lawn reduction, groundcovers, flowering meadows, waterside buffer gardens, deer-resistant designs, hard-to-grow hillsides, and foundation gardens. Well-versed in the use of native plants and reduction and removal of invasives, Kathy gives numerous presentations throughout the year for a wide variety of audiences.