Learn what native plants are and why they are important to add to your landscapes. Photos of native plants appropriate for various growing conditions will be shown as well as photos of native garden examples. Attendees will learn where to buy natives and how to use them successfully in their new and existing gardens. Ideas for creating a container native garden will be discussed. The instructor hopes to inspire the attendees to make small changes in their gardens with native plants.

Jane became a Master Gardener in the spring of 2022 after retiring from forty-five years of teaching high school biology and chemistry. She was born in New Hampshire and at her family farm in Ashland, they raised Morgan horses and Hereford cattle in addition to growing hay and vegetables. Jane was a farmer at a very young age, training animals, and helping with farm work. These early experiences fostered a love of plants and animals and led to an undergraduate degree in chemistry and a master’s degree in biology.

Jane is a dedicated teacher. She taught many levels of high school students and also taught adults as an adjunct at the UNH School for Lifelong Learning. She is a member of the Goffstown Conservation Commission. Gardening and forestry take a prominent role in her life as she manages a 100-acre wood lot and tends her home vegetable and flower gardens.

When Jane and her husband James moved to Goffstown in 1982, they acquired a five-acre property that had been neglected. In the past 40 years, they have cleaned and improved the property, growing vegetables and flowers. The garden is designated as a Pollinator Habitat and their yard is registered with the National Wildlife Federation as Certified Wildlife Habitat.