Plan it Wild in New York creates educational program for homeowners

EDITOR'S NOTE: This story originally comes from the New York Times and can be read in full on its website.

What if the first step in transforming your lawn-dominated home landscape into a place of enhanced biodiversity could be fun, educational — and free?

Plan it Wild, a sustainable landscaping firm in Westchester County, N.Y., considered the question. The company kept hearing some common refrains from potential customers who wanted help rethinking their yards: Where do I even start? Why is this all so intimidating?

Many of those who inquired realized they didn’t have the budget to hire a design firm to guide them, lived outside Plan it Wild’s coverage area or just wanted to do it themselves. But one after another lamented that the task seemed daunting without expert support.