With avid gardeners for parents and grandparents, Merikay has been surrounded by blooming plants and eating home-grown foods all her life. Merikay has a 2-acre garden in Darnestown where, with the help of her husband and son, she is converting a vast expanse of lawn into a healthier habitat of trees, shrubs, and perennials. Merikay has been a Master Gardener since 2007 and has served as the Chair of the Speakers Group. Merikay also serves on the Board of the Muddy Branch Alliance and the Seneca Creek Watershed Partners, local watershed protection groups. Merikay has organized their native tree initiative since 2014, distributing nearly 2,000 native trees to neighbors in the watershed areas. She is also the MBA Board lead for the Lands Green Waters Clean initiative. She is the founder of Earth Stewardship East, a local faith-based environmental group (www.eartheast.org) which has created conservation landscaping on an historic site and hosts a variety of earth stewardship events.On March 21, 2019, Master Gardener Merikay Smith Shows How She’s Using Native Plants to Convert Her Lawn into a Healthier Habitat of Trees, Shrubs, and Perennials
With avid gardeners for parents and grandparents, Merikay has been surrounded by blooming plants and eating home-grown foods all her life. Merikay has a 2-acre garden in Darnestown where, with the help of her husband and son, she is converting a vast expanse of lawn into a healthier habitat of trees, shrubs, and perennials. Merikay has been a Master Gardener since 2007 and has served as the Chair of the Speakers Group. Merikay also serves on the Board of the Muddy Branch Alliance and the Seneca Creek Watershed Partners, local watershed protection groups. Merikay has organized their native tree initiative since 2014, distributing nearly 2,000 native trees to neighbors in the watershed areas. She is also the MBA Board lead for the Lands Green Waters Clean initiative. She is the founder of Earth Stewardship East, a local faith-based environmental group (www.eartheast.org) which has created conservation landscaping on an historic site and hosts a variety of earth stewardship events.