Heritage Garden Program
The Conservation Districts of the Columbia River Basin are introducing a new program to Yakima County, the Heritage Garden program!
The Heritage Garden (HG) program assists homeowners and businesses in creating a native plant gardens to encourage water conservation and to honor the unique natural and cultural features of this area. The program was developed through a partnership between the Columbia Basin Chapter of the Washington Native Plant Society and Benton Conservation District in 2011. Since the start of the HG program, there have been over 167 home visits and 40 HG gardens planted and certified! Program funding for Heritage Gardens in Yakima County is provided by a grant from the Department of Ecology through the Municipal Subgroup of the Yakima Basin Integrated Plan. To learn more about the program and to take a virtual tour of certified gardens please visit our website: www.hgcd.info.
There will be a free HG Workshop at the Yakima Arboretum on Saturday, March 23rd, from 9am-12pm. There is an online registration as well as an email or a mail-in registration for the workshop. The online registration link can be found on the Heritage Garden website under the Calendar tab. The workshop flyer is included with this letter – please feel free to copy and distribute to homeowners and businesses in your city.
I’d like to enlist the help of you and your staff to get the word out about the Heritage Garden workshop through a newsletter, calendar listing, the city website, email, or distribution of the workshop flyer. I can also send more Heritage Garden brochures if that would be helpful. I am available to do a short overview of the Heritage Garden program for your staff, department or board.
Thank you and please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions. I look forward to working with you!
Ann Autrey
Heritage Garden Program Assistant
Ann-Autrey@conservewa.net; 509-528-2683
Water Smart Landscape Brochure
Heritage Garden Program Application