Thinking about transforming your lawn into a native plant garden but not sure where to start? In this design workshop webinar, “Turn That Patch Into a Plan,” experts Zoe Evans (Plan it Wild) and Heather Evans (Design Your Wild) show you how to reimagine your entire yard as a place that truly works for both people and wildlife. You’ll discover practical design strategies, like using paths, destinations, and enclosure, that make outdoor spaces more restorative for humans while supporting pollinators, birds, and other wildlife.
About the Webinar
Designing with native plants isn’t just about what you grow, it’s about how you shape your space. In this hands-on workshop, Zoe Evans (Plan it Wild) and Heather Evans (Design Your Wild) guide you through the process of creating a cohesive yard plan that supports both your lifestyle and biodiversity.
You’ll learn:
- Why layout matters as much as plant choice
- How paths, destinations, and enclosure create restorative outdoor spaces
- Ways to integrate trees and shrubs for privacy, structure, and habitat
- A step-by-step method to sketch your first draft layout and connect it to a larger vision
Participants will sketch along, reflect through guided prompts, and come away with a draft plan they can refine over time. Whether you’re just starting or already transforming your whole yard, this webinar provides the tools to create a design that works for both people and wildlife.
Materials for Your Yard Design Exercise
If you want to participate in the yard layout sketching exercises – and we hope you will – please have these materials on hand:
1. Your Property Base Map
Find your entire property using:
- Online sources: County assessor, Google Maps satellite view, or real estate sites
- Existing documents: Architectural plans, survey, or drone photo
Note: If your property exceeds ⅓ acre, zoom in on the area around your house you want to design.
No map? No problem: Just bring blank paper.
2. Sketching Supplies
- Paper Method:
- 3+ copies of your base map (black & white is fine)
- Dark pens or highlighters that show on copies (thick tips work best – avoid pencils)
- Digital Method:
- Tablet with stylus
- Property image saved
- Know how to use your tablet’s photo markup feature
About the Presenters
Heather Evans
Heather is a master gardener, award-winning designer, and former marketing executive who co-founded Design Your Wild with her daughter Zoe. She writes a popular Substack newsletter, teaches online workshops, and helps homeowner gardeners bring native-plant design and ecological thinking into human-centered outdoor spaces.
Her design philosophy emphasizes research-backed native landscaping (especially drawing on the work of Doug Tallamy and Doug Kent), creating “wild yet usable” yards that support biodiversity, human enjoyment, and smoother long-term stewardship.
Design Your Wild is the leading Substack on North American garden design — spreading joy and strengthening biodiversity through the use of native plants. Founded by mother-daughter duo Heather and Zoe Evans, Design Your Wild empowers DIY rewilders to transform their yards into vibrant, resilient spaces with thoughtful, human-centered design.
Zoe Evans
Zoe is a master naturalist, avid “dirt-digger,” and ecological coach who partners with her mother in Design Your Wild. Her work at Plan it Wild bridges science and hands-on DIY yard transformation. She leads virtual workshops and coaches people through rewilding their yards step-by-step.
Zoe is deeply committed to helping people design yards that serve both wildlife and people— turning simple lawn patches into circuits of movement, restful “rooms,” and biodiverse planting zones that evolve over time.
Plan it Wild is a landscape design and installation firm dedicated to rewilding America one yard at a time. They specialize in making rewilding simple with clear, personalized guidance.
