Allentown Garden Club of New Jersey

Oct 8, 2015   -  Monthly Meeting:    Gardening in the Shade – Dave Benner

Imagine a shade garden with moss lawns and no grass for forty years!  Dave Benner shares how to work with the environment using native plants and alternatives to grass lawns, create a natural landscape with practically no maintenance, and control deer damage and other wildlife problems.  Learn how to add established beds of groundcovers, wildflowers, shrubs, ferns, vines, trees and spring bulbs, all blooming in May.

Dave Brenner, a pioneer in developing moss lawns and discovering virtually invisible plastic deer fencing, is founder of Benner’s Gardens Inc., and more recently, Moss Acres, along with his son Alan, consulting homeowners on naturalistic landscaping and shade gardening.  After many years as Resident Botanist for Bowman’s Hill Wildflower Preserve and Professor of Ornamental Horticulture at Delaware Valley College, the Benner property graces the pages of such publications as Architectural Digest, Country Gardens, American Nurseryman, Taylor’s Guide to National Gardening, Brooklyn Botanical Garden Booklet, “The Natural Lawn,” and most recently, House and Garden Magazine.  Dave is a Consultant for Bowman Hill’s Wildflower Preserve, lectures at many arboretums, horticultural societies, and garden clubs along the East Coast and supports and is active in numerous environmental organizations.