Jeff Epping – Gravel Gardens – Gardens that Rock!

If you want a garden that truly rocks, look no further than a gravel garden. Earth-friendly and climate resilient gravel gardens require less of just about everything – water, energy, chemicals, mulch and most importantly labor – but give back so much more. Jeff Epping of Epping Design & Consulting’ LLC and former Director of Horticulture at Olbrich Botanical Gardens for over 28 years, has created numerous gravel gardens, including one in his own home garden that you can easily incorporate into your home landscape as well. Don’t confuse these gardens with traditional rock or alpine gardens that can look more rocky than green and require a great deal of time to maintain. These tough gardens are as colorful as any perennial planting around, provide food and habit for pollinators and other insects and require up to 80% less maintenance than a traditional perennial planting. Jeff will show you how to replace conventional lawns, expensive annual plantings, and labor-intensive perennial beds with these easy-to-maintain gravel gardens, just as he’s done at Olbrich and elsewhere.

Biography
Jeff Epping started Epping Design & Consulting in 2009 and just recently retired after 28 years serving as Director of Horticulture at Olbrich Botanical Gardens in Madison, Wisconsin, where he has always practiced and preached environmentally conscious gardening. His designs put plants at the forefront to create gardens that are not only beautiful, but also ecologically sound, providing habitat for insects, birds and all the wild creatures they help support. His garden designs celebrate the region, support nature, enhance the senses and satisfy one’s innate desire to connect with the natural world.

A native of southern Wisconsin and graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Epping holds a bachelor’s and master’s degree in Ornamental Horticulture and regularly lectures and teaches throughout the country on great garden plants and designs for northern gardens. His garden designs have been featured in the New York Times, Fine Gardening and Southern Living, among others and has been interviewed on many local radio and television programs, as well as numerous podcasts. He just recently received the Award of Merit from the American Public Gardens Association for his contributions to public horticulture over his career and his home garden was recently featured in American Roots, written by Nick and Allison McCullough and Teressa Woodard.