Meadows Instead of Blue Grass!

As climate change progresses, many of us are looking at our yards and public spaces and feeling concern about the amount of water it takes to keep the traditional blue grass landscapes alive. City Park Friends and Neighbors is honored to have a speaker for the Tuesday, December 5 program who addresses the solution to our water-guzzling landscapes with knowledgeability and passion.

Michelle Simpson is an Ecological Horticulturalist and the Co-founder and CEO of Otherworlds Seed Co. She was the horticulturist for Denver’s Historic Mount Vernon garden in Washington Park where she designed and implemented its transformation from a high water, high input formal ornamental garden into a dynamic native forward public garden. She worked with the City of Denver on its resiliency task force and with members of the community to educate and empower sustainable systems and practices. She has worked in both public and private horticulture and design in Colorado for two decades.

Michelle Simpson at Mt. Vernon Garden, Washington Park

Simpson’s website, www.owseedco.com announces the Otherworlds Seed Company’s philosophy plainly enough: “Say Farewell to Turf and Hello to a vibrant, low-water meadow.” The company advocates for working with nature and not against it when planting and maintaining a garden, choosing the right native plant for the right space without using chemicals and transforming home landscapes and public spaces into “islands of habitat for insects, birds and other wildlife.”  The Otherworlds Native Landscape in a Box offers fifteen native plants and one pound of native seed, a planting map, care instructions and watering schedules

Michelle Simpson

At the December 5 meeting, Simpson will speak about the principals of ecological gardening and share a beginner’s guide to switching from turf to urban habitat. She will also discuss common garden weeds and what to do about them. A Winter Sow Mix for areas already prepped for planting will be available. Please join us at the Multi-Purpose Room at Carla Madison Recreation Center, 2401 East Colfax Avenue on Tuesday, December 5 at 5:30 pm for this outstanding program with Michelle Simpson. Parking is accessible from 16^th Street off York. Light refreshments will be served. For Zoom access, go to:

https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZ0ofuCvrTMiG9HJ8irMDZOyfnvXN7z5OGNG