Once a month from September to May, gardeners from Lane County and beyond gather at the Willamette Valley Hardy Plant Group’s speaker series. On March 10, Portland-based gardening author Amy Campionjoins the series for a talk on building insect-friendly habitats, covering steps to support pollinators amid crashing insect populations. Campion, co-author of Gardening in the Pacific Northwest: The Complete Homeowner’s Guide and writer behind The World’s Best Gardening Blog, brings deep knowledge of local native plants and biodiversity to her talk. Club president Marian Talen reports that members drive from as far as Portland to catch guest speakers. “Nobody else has the variety that we have,” Talen says. Beyond the speaker series, club members get access to hands-on workshops and open gardens, where members volunteer to open their yards to fellow gardeners for peer learning and inspiration. Talen describes the group simply: “A very friendly, welcoming gardening club where the members want to help each other.”

Boost Biodiversity in Your Garden with Insect-Friendly Habitat is 7 pm Tuesday, March 10, at Unitarian Universalist Church, 1685 West 13th Avenue and over Zoom. $5 non-members, free for members. For more information and the Zoom link, visit TheHardyPlantGroup.org or email info@thehardyplantgroup.org.