Quinta Mazatlan kicks off Native Plant Month in Texas on Oct. 6 with a native plant sale and Mike Heep’s presentation, “Landscaping with Native Plants.”

Heep will focus on a wide variety of the Rio Grande Valley’s native plants and information on how to diversify your garden with local specialties that help sustain the ecological and biodiversity of the region.

South Texas native plants are the ecological basis upon which life depends on in the Rio Grande Valley. All terrestrial animals, in one way or another, depend on these plants for food, shelter and nesting. With an educational background in botany, agriculture and chemistry, Heep turned his passion into a business and opened Heep’s LRGV Native Plant Nursery in Harlingen in 1978. Heep grows more than 150 native plants and enjoys sharing his knowledge on how to design bird- and butterfly-friendly native gardens with the community.

Heep also works closely with Quinta Mazatlán, restoring and preserving the native habitat in “the big backyard,” which can serve as a demonstration site for your garden.

Pre-purchased tickets are online at quintamazatlan.ticketleap.com. Tickets are $3 per person.