WaterSmart Landscaping with Native Plants

The Woodlands G.R.E.E.N. is sponsoring a Going Green Sustainability Lecture titled “WaterSmart Landscaping with Native Plants” to be held at the offices of the Houston Advanced Research Center (HARC), located at 8801 Gosling Road, The Woodlands, on Thursday, April 26th, at 7:00 p.m. Mark Bowen, General Manager of Nature’s Way Resources, horticulturist, and author will be our guest speaker. Topic: Watering our landscape continues to be the largest component of our municipal water supply during the summer months. In our area, as much as 60% of the potable water distributed by our suppliers goes on our yards, shrubs, and flowers. Much of that is in excess of actual needs. This is alarming and it doesn’t have to be that way. In addition to being efficient with the watering of our landscape, we can also control WHAT we grow-using as many water-efficient plants as we can in our yards and at our businesses. And we’re not talking about converting to cactus and weeds. There are many beautiful and productive plants and grasses available that are water efficient and much less thirsty than the typical makeup of our yards. This colorful presentation of pictures and facts will provide a wealth of information about what to choose and where to find what’s best for you and your yard…and the environment. Mark Bowen is a native Houstonian, a resident of the Woodlands and a horticulturist by profession. He is currently the general manager of Nature’s Way Resources, producers of a variety of natural compost and mulch products. He is also the author of several books. Among them are: “Habitat Gardening for Houston and Southeast Texas”, “Naturalistic Landscaping for the Gulf Coast”, and “Bayou Planting Guide”. We hope you’ll join us for this interesting and informative discussion. Those who attend will also enjoy learning about HARC’s new home. The building was recently awarded the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Platinum Green Building Certification. HARC’s is the first building in The Woodlands or Montgomery County to be designated as such.