Gardening for Wildlife Tour

Gardening for Wildlife Homescape Tour

November 19, 2005 — 10:00 to 4:00

Eight private yards in Sarasota, Osprey, Venice and Englewood

Added attraction: several public demonstration gardens

Eight Sarasota County gardeners will open their yards on Saturday, November 19 from 10:00 until 4:00 for the first ever Gardening for Wildlife Homescape Tour.

Organizer, Laurel Schiller says the tour will highlight successful homescapes specially designed to attract birds, butterflies and other wildlife.

The tour is a partnership with local environmental groups and will also include demonstration wildlife gardens at county and state parks, The Sarasota Garden Club Butterfly Garden maintained by the Sarasota Butterfly Club, Spanish Point Butterfly Garden, The Florida House Learning Center, local native plant nurseries and more. The event is open to the public; families with children are most welcome. Visitors can start the tour at any of the locations where they’ll be provided a free map of all the participating sites.

Additional information, including "how to" advice and the Real Florida Gardener’s Guide, will be available. A donation of $10 per carload is requested. All proceeds will be divided evenly among the sponsoring not-for-profit organizations—the Audubon Society, Sierra Club, Florida Native Plant Society, ReLeaf Sarasota, Sarasota Butterfly Club, and Lemon Bay Nature Conservancy.

Home gardeners and the sponsors arranged in north to south order are:

• Bill Lewis, 3221 Tobero Lane, Sarasota—Sierra Club
• Dan Walton, 2564 Colorado St., Sarasota—Sarasota Butterfly Club
• Ed Freeman, 723 Goodrich Ave., Sarasota—Florida Native Plant Society
• Ellen Maloff, 2620 Grafton St., Sarasota—ReLEAF Sarasota
• Jon Thaxton, 2046 Cordes St., Osprey (Sarasota Audubon)
• Laurel Schiller, 405 Armada Rd. S., Venice—Florida Native Plant Society
• Karl Hallsten, 940 Everest Rd., South Venice—Venice Audubon
• Jack Taylor, 1932 Allen St., Englewood—Lemon Bay Nature ConservancyTicketsAvailable at each site on the day of event.

No advance sales. For additional information call Laurel Schiller At Florida Native Plant Nursery at 941-322-1915 or email her at scrubisme@comcast.net

(Zebra Longwing and firebush - NSIS)