When we think of gardening, we often think of the all the preparatory work that comes in the Spring, but what we do in the Fall to “cleanup”, can have a dramatic impact. In fact, some of our traditional routines may no longer be the best practices for a healthy and biodiverse yard. In this talk, Miranda Scher, Rutgers Master Gardener, will take a look at new ways of performing fall tasks that can answer our human need for order, and also the needs of wildlife and the plants themselves.

Miranda has had a life-long interest in nature, and spent her youth prowling in a local swamp, climbing trees, and hobnobbing with wildlife. Asking the question “what is this plant and why is it here?” eventually led her to becoming a Rutgers Environmental Steward, a Naturalist at Bowman’s Hill Wildflower Preserve, and a Rutgers Master Gardener.
She is an enthusiastic member of the Native Plant Society of New Jersey and the Northeastern Organic Farming Association, and runs a local community gardening group. Miranda and her husband are homesteaders who stay busy growing vegetables and herbs, tending bees and chickens, and expanding the native plant palette on their wildlife-certified and PHS Blue Ribbon-winning property. Miranda’s passion is in helping others see the joys of getting to know native plants and welcoming wildlife in their own yards.