Registration Is Open!
Workshop and Native Plant Sale: Creating Biodiverse Habitat for Pollinators and Other Wildlife
Just in time to plan for the fall planting season, the Chatham County Center of North Carolina Cooperative Extension will offer a workshop on Creating Biodiverse Habitat for Pollinators and Other Wildlife on Friday September 18, 2026. The workshop will be held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Chatham County Agriculture & Conference Center in Pittsboro.
Chatham County Agricultural Extension Agent Debbie Roos will share lessons learned during her 18 years of experience designing and managing the popular Pollinator Paradise Demonstration Garden in Pittsboro that features over 240 species of perennials, 85% of them native to North Carolina.
For those who have attended previous workshops, this program includes a wealth of new information, featuring several additional habitat creation strategies for farms, home landscapes, and other properties. Participants will explore multiple approaches with varying levels of maintenance to fit different goals and situations.
Participants will be given tools to create pollinator habitat at their farm or home landscape.
Topics include:
- General Guidelines for Selecting Plants
- Powerhouse Plants: Native Plants that Support Pollinators and Other Beneficials
- Habitat Establishment:
- Trees & Shrubs
- Hedgerows
- Pollinator Meadows
- On-farm Habitat (with planting template)
- Designed Gardens
- Habitat Installation and Maintenance
- Common Pests, Diseases, and Weeds
- Resources
The workshop will conclude with a Native Plant Sale featuring our Chatham County native plant nurseries:
Pre-registration for the workshop is required. The deadline for registration is September 11. This workshop always sells out so register early if you plan to attend!
The cost for the workshop is $65 and includes a catered lunch and extensive handouts created as tools to help with plant selection and habitat design.
Register for the workshop through Eventbrite.
About the Speaker
Debbie Roos has been the Sustainable Agriculture Agent for the Chatham County Center of North Carolina Cooperative Extension for 27 years where she is responsible for programming in the areas of commercial vegetable production, organic production, pollinator conservation, forestry, and beekeeping. Debbie worked for three years as an Agroforestry Extension Agent and Technical Trainer for the Peace Corps in Senegal, West Africa, and later completed graduate degrees in applied anthropology and horticulture at the University of Florida. Debbie delivers educational programming to growers through regular workshops, webinars, and her award-winning Growing Small Farms website. Debbie is passionate about pollinator conservation and created a demonstration Pollinator Paradise Garden that is used for education and outreach. In 2019 Debbie received the Governor’s Conservation Achievement Award as the Wildlife Conservationist of the Year from the North Carolina Wildlife Federation.
Comments from Debbie’s Past Workshops on Pollinator Habitat:
- I loved learning Debbie's practical and experiential approach to habitat design and the interesting tidbits about insect and plant species she provides every minute!
- All of the beautiful pictures really add to the learning and appreciating. Plus the handouts are so thorough and such an amazing resource!
- I came out of the workshop feeling enthusiastic and inspired.
- The diversity and depth of the workshop were invaluable.
- I enjoyed learning from someone who has started from scratch and has learned by trial and error. It’s hard not to be excited by Debbie’s passion and enthusiasm.
- This is the best presentation of this type that I have ever seen.
- Debbie is a very valuable resource and offers an evolving encyclopedic knowledge about this topic...now I have the knowledge and resources to bring my habitat project to completion
- We are beginner farmers and I learned A LOT of everything at your workshop...we did our first draft for our pollinator garden thanks to you!
- Excellent content, beautifully presented and communicated!; I gained the confidence to plan and implement the transition of our land to pollinator habitat
- The handouts are priceless! They'll be something I constantly refer to; the workshop gave me a much greater appreciation of the diversity of pollinators and some of their requirements. This will help me create a better habitat in my yard
- I have been growing native plants for over 20 years but still learned new things; I work as a landscape designer with a focus already on native plants, and I drew a lot of inspiration and great ideas from this workshop!
- I can't wait to design and modify my gardens based on the information learned in the workshop; I came away from the workshop feeling empowered as I work to increase diversity in native plants and pollinators where I live. I know more so I can do more! Thank you for stoking the passion!
Contact Debbie Roos if you have any questions about the workshop.
Visit the Pollinator Paradise Garden website for more information about the Demo Garden.
