The cities of Daphne and Foley are Tree Cities that are sponsoring workshops in an effort to educate citizens of the problem with invasive species taking over city right of ways and parks.

Residential areas make up an increasing percentage of our coastal and inland landscape. There should and can be a balance between how we use residential yards for planting plants that are easy to care for, that create habitat and

are beautiful all at the same time. Also, our yards can be the jumping off point for an unwanted green invasion.

Plants that are not part of our historical landscape or not "native" to our coastal area can grow very fast and in such abundance that they squeeze out other plants. Some of these plants require a great deal of water, fertilizer and chemicals that they can damage local creeks and bays.

Homeowners need good information to help them make better decisions about the kinds of plants they select for their yards.

These are the themes of the upcoming Landscaping with Native Plants: Community Education for Homeowners workshop on 9 a.m.-1 p.m. March 31 at Weeks Bay Reserve Resource Center.

Mike Shelton, watershed coordinator at Weeks Bay Reserve, said, "native plants and noninvasive, ornamentals planted around our homes can benefit wildlife and birds as our natural areas get converted to housing. Our homeowners are in position to use plants that require low maintenance while still creating a showplace yard." Residents who attend will increase their knowledge about native and noninvasive plants and their use around your home. They will learn about designing a yardscape that provides habitats for birds and other animals. Also, they can gain the upper hand on those pesky invasive, nuisance plants that may already be in their backyards.

Expert instruction will be provided by Bobby Green of Green Nurseries; Fred Nation, a local botanist; and Gena

Todia, a consultant with Wetland Resources.

In previous workshops, the emphasis has been on invasive plant identification and ecology and how to get rid of these pests. Those topics will be covered in this workshop plus more instruction on the use of native plants in residential and urban landscapes.

Shelton explained that, "we are looking for a balanced approach to selecting plants for residential-urban landscaping to prevent the spread of nuisance plants, saving dwindling habitat in urban areas and being pretty all at the same time."

The Weeks Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve is a component of the National Estuarine Research Reserve System established by Section 315 of the Coastal Zone Management Act, as amended, and funded by the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Lands Division, Coastal Section, in part, by a grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management.