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Meadowlark Botanical Gardens Seeks Volunteers

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Photo courtesy of Meadowlark Botanical Gardens

Meadowlark Botanical Gardens in Vienna, VA has long had a native plant collection. This collection plays an important role in educating students and the general public about regional native plant conservation. During the last few years, the native plant collection did not receive the attention it needs to thrive. Keith Tomlinson, former long-time manager of Meadowlark and the driving force behind the native plant collection, recently initiated an effort to reinvigorate the collection and is looking for volunteers to help.

Activities will include invasives removal, mulching trails and plantings. Volunteer days will likely be on Tuesdays and Thursdays, beginning March 5th. For more information, see Meadowlark’s Facebook page or reach out to Keith at [email protected].

Know Your Natives: Deer Tolerance, webinar February 21st

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Photo: PennState Extension

Thursday, February 21, 2024
7 – 8 pm
Webinar
Registration required.

The Penn State Master Gardeners of Westmoreland County presents an informational session on deer-tolerant native plants in the Know Your Natives series. Deer can be both majestic and challenging visitors to our gardens. In this webinar, we’ll explore native plants that have evolved strategies to withstand deer browsing, providing you with valuable insights into creating a garden that thrives even in the company of these troublesome herbivores.

Attend this hour-long webinar to explore gardening methods for coexisting with local deer, understanding plant factors that deter them, and identifying deer-tolerant species for a diverse, beautiful garden.

Free Native Plant Clinics: Cultivate Nature

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Photo: Eastern Shooting Star, Virginia Department Conservation and Recreation

Thursdays, March 30, through April 27, 2023
10:30-11:30 AM

Location:
All clinics located in Great Falls, VA
Specific public location will be sent via email to registrants one week before each clinic.

Register:
Please register via email with name and dates.
All details will be sent via email.
[email protected]  

Join Botanist and Ecologist Meghan M. McGinty, Phd. Learn how to cultivate wildlife habitat anywhere, help save biodiversity and create your own Homegrown National Park.

Topics:

March 30- Replace your lawn with cardboard mulching and native ground covers.

April 6- Restore native habitat by replacing invasive plants commonly found in nurseries.

April 13- High wildlife-value trees and shrubs to plant today.

April 20- Habitat gardens for containers.

April 27- Make more of what you already have by propagating the natives on your property.

Habitat gardens designed and photographed by Meghan M. McGinty, PhD.

36TH ANNUAL LAHR NATIVE PLANTS SYMPOSIUM, March 25th

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Saturday, March 25, 2023
9:30 AM–3:45 PM

Administration Building Auditorium,
U.S. National Arboretum
3501 New York Avenue, NE
Washington, DC 20002

Reserve your spot now! $100 (FONA members $80)
View the full program here.

What do George Washington, the National Arboretum’s bonsai curators, and several of the region’s grassland restoration experts and landscape designers have in common? An appreciation of the ecosystem services provided by native plants and a commitment to their conservation.

Learn from the National Arboretum’s line-up of native plant professionals about efforts to reestablish beautiful and unusual habitats and how you can successfully manage and design your cultivated landscapes. The 36th Lahr Native Plant Symposium provides inspiration from the wild and practical advice for your gardens.

Registrants attend all plenary sessions and one concurrent session of their choice.

Registration is required and includes all sessions, morning coffee and refreshments, and box lunch.

Questions? Email us at [email protected].

For FMN CE credit use All Continuing Ed and select ‘Other’ as the Approved Organization. Please make a note in the description that it is for the NBG symposium.

As with all CE, VMN does not permit travel time to be included. Also, with symposiums and conferences, only actual ‘learning sessions’ can be claimed. Lunch, plant sales, intros, breaks, etc. are not considered learning sessions.

Conference in Spanish – Learn About Native Plants and Managing the Local Natural Landscape

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Photo: Courtesy of Plant NOVA Natives

Wednesday, February 15, 2023
9:00 AM – 1:00 PM

Northern Virginia Community College –
Campus de Annandale
Forum Room – Ernst Community Cultural Center
8333 Little River Turnpike, Annandale, VA 22003

Free parking anywhere in lot B
Meet on the second floor, “CE” building.

Please click here to register.

Topics:

  • Why native plants? (Elisa Meara)
  • Proper tree planting and maintenance (Patricia Greenberg)
  • Control of invasive plants (Patricia Greenberg)
  • Taking care of the soil (Beth Sastre)
  • Spotted Lanternfly (Beth Sastre)
  • Natural pruning (Jose Lara)

In Spanish: For more information can be found at this link.

 

English translation: please click here.

5th Annual Prince William Native Plant Symposium, February 11th

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Photo: Butterfly Bush Pollinators by FMN Ana Ka’ahanui

Saturday, February 11, 2023
9:00 am – 4:00 pm

This is a hybrid event.
Participants can either choose to join in-person, or online.
Location: Verizon Auditorium 
George Mason University
George Mason Circle
Manassas, VA 20109

Cost:
In-person tickets: $30
Online tickets: $15

Click here for more information and registration details.

Whether you are new to native plants and what they can do for your property or you are looking for alternative landscaping ideas, this event is for you! Native plants can:

  • Create a beautiful yard
  • Save time so you can enjoy other activities
  • Create habitat for birds & pollinators
  • Save money on fertilizer & pesticides
  • Improve water quality
  • Curb Erosion

 

 

Managing larger properties for birds, butterflies, and people

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Photo and article by Plant NOVA Natives

The outdoor space on larger properties in Northern Virginia, whether residential or commercial, is typically divided into formal landscaping close to buildings and natural areas at the periphery. New practices are emerging on how to manage both areas, practices that protect the ecosystem and support the birds and the butterflies while better satisfying human needs.

The natural areas between properties are an important amenity, providing visual barriers and sound buffers while capturing stormwater and reducing flooding. Looking around, it is evident that those natural areas are often being left to take care of themselves. The result is that they are steadily degrading as the native trees are displaced by invasive non-native trees and are directly killed by invasive vines. The shrubs and ground layers are equally damaged by invasives species at those levels. Many of these invasive plants originate from the landscaped areas where they had been planted before people knew to do otherwise. Preserving trees and habitat in both areas requires taking out the invasives and replacing them with native species, of which numerous options are available.

Some other tweaking is also needed to common landscaping practices. To name a few examples, piling mulch against the trunks of trees causes the bark to rot. Blowing the fallen leaves out from under trees destroys the cover where fireflies and many butterflies overwinter. Leaf blowers with two-stroke engines pour pollution into the air and are loud enough to damage workers’ ears. Outdoor lighting can adversely affect birds, insects and plants. Spraying insecticides kills the bees and caterpillars even more than the mosquitoes they are intended to target. Simple solutions are available to mitigate all these problems.

Professional property managers and community managers negotiate the contracts with landscaping companies and can work with them to adjust their services. Details of the various options for both landscaped and natural areas can be found on the Plant NOVA Trees website in a section specifically for professionals. www.plantnovatrees.org/property-managers Please spread the word to the managers of any properties where you live or work.

Earth Sangha Nursery Workdays in November

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Photo:  Earth Sangha

Sundays, Mondays and Tuesdays
9 am – Noon
6100 Cloud Dr, Springfield, VA 22150
Sign up here.

Help the Earth Sangha team with fall season tasks. They need help with potting, weeding, sowing seeds and winterizing. They’ll provide tools and gloves. Please dress for the weather, wear sturdy shoes, and bring your own water. If you arrive late, please call Sarah at 580-583-8065.

Winter Seed Sowing with Laura Beaty and Donna Murphy, November 1st

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Tuesday, November 1, 2022
7 -8 pm
Virtual
ASNV Member Ticket: $10
Non-member ticket: $15
Register here.

Audubon Society of Northern Virginia wants to know: Do you want a garden brimming with life for a fraction of the price you’d pay to install full-grown plants? Learn how to propagate native plants from seed with this helpful tutorial. Now is the time to collect and sow seeds in trays of seed-starter medium for over-wintering and sprouting seedlings in the spring and summer. Laura Beaty and Donna Murphy will recommend seed sources, share helpful tips and tricks, and answer questions from the audience.

Community Entranceway Landscaping

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Article, Photos, and Images: Courtesy of Plant NOVA Natives: Water’s Edge at Fair Lakes Homeowners Association 

The Audubon-at-Home program in partnership with Plant NOVA Natives obtained a grant from Dominion Energy to award seven matching mini-grants to community associations for converting their entranceway landscaping to all Virginia native plants. The mini-grants stipulated that the landscaping be designed so that the community’s standard landscape company could maintain it. The projects were installed in the fall of 2021. The “after” photos are from Spring 2022. Below, the organizer from Water’s Edge at Fair Lakes Homeowners Association shared some thoughts about their experience that may help other communities.

​Note: Any community or individual in Northern Virginia who wish to use their property for wildlife sanctuary is encouraged to invite an Audubon-at-Home volunteer to walk their property with them and strategize.

In Fairfax County, The Water’s Edge at Fair Lakes Homeowners Association participated in the program.

From the Water’s Edge Organizers:

It is so exciting to see these plants come back this year! We have several signs that you will notice in the pics. Besides the Native Plants sign, there are some smaller signs as well. The smaller green one requests that the plants not be sprayed. There are also small signs with numbers. The numbers correlate to the educational piece, which is the QR codes in multiple places, which invite people to learn more about the plant that is there. This is something we said we would have by this spring. We are still looking into other educational opportunities for the community and will take any chance to share the work that has been done and the benefits associated with planting natives. Since the entrance is located on a walking path in the area, the QR codes are placed so that anyone walking by has the opportunity to learn more about any of the plants. On our part, having this done and engaging with the work has prompted us to consider only natives in other parts of the neighborhood as trees need to be replaced, beds need to be rebuilt, and our own properties need plantings. The invasives that were in the area, such as the lilies, have been difficult to remove, and they came back in full force this year. Hands Dirty came back to remove more of them, and we will continue to monitor the need for removal. During bouts of hot and/or dry weather, we are watering by hand or hiring the landscaping company to water the plants at the entrance as well as other native plantings we are working to establish.

Additional articles about this program and participants:
Welcoming Visitors with Native Plant Landscaping — Audubon Society of Northern Virginia (audubonva.org)
https://www.plantnovanatives.org/entranceway-landscaping

Plant List:
​
Switchgrass (Panicum virgatam ‘Shenandoah’
Southern Wax Myrtle (Morella cerifera)
Butterfly Weed (Asclepias tuberosa)
Eastern Bluestar (Amsonia tabernaemontana)
Pennsylvania Sedge) (Carex pensylvanica)
Wood Aster
Woodland Phlox (Phlox diviracata) ‘Sherwood Purple’
Native azalea
Meadow Anemone
American Strawberrybush (Euonymyous americanus)
Aromatic Sumac (Rhus aromatica)
Moss Phlox (Phlox subulata) ‘Emerald Pink’
Beardtongue (Penstemon digitalis)
Black-eyed Susan
Culver’s Root
False Blue Indigo (Baptisia australis)
Golden Ragwort (Packera aurea)
Mountain Mint
Beebalm
Sundrops

 

Before Picture and After Pictures:

Courtesy of Plant NOVA Natives: Water’s Edge at Fair Lakes Homeowners Association

 

Courtesy of Plant NOVA Natives: Water’s Edge at Fair Lakes Homeowners Association

 

Courtesy of Plant NOVA Natives: Water’s Edge at Fair Lakes Homeowners Association

 

Courtesy of Plant NOVA Natives: Water’s Edge at Fair Lakes Homeowners Association