Wild One Events – Chapter and National

The Wild Ones Nation's Capital Region chapter's Informal Garden Chats are held the first Monday of each month from 7-8 pm ET via Zoom.

Garden Chats are monthly Zoom conversations about a variety of topics including what is happening in our gardens, how we're encouraging native gardening in our communities, ideas for our WildOnes chapter, and more!  

A topic/prompt and Zoom details will be sent out to chapter members via the listserve prior to the meeting.  Past topics have included winter sowing, pruning trees/shrubs, engaging neighbors in native planting, pocket forests/thickets, jumping worms, mosquito control and leaving the leaves.  

Beginners welcome! Bring your stories, questions, or just sit back and listen.

Rachael Renzi from the C & O Canal will be speaking on "Rare and Threatened  Native  Plants".  Her PowerPoint presentation will show the beauty of these native plants.

12:30-1:00pm     Registration/Socializing/Seed Share*
1:00-2:00pm     Speaker
2:00-2:30pm     Socializing/Clean-up/Seed Share*

*Before/after the event there will be a table set up to share native plant seeds.  Please bring seeds or winter sowing containers (especially translucent plastic 1 gallon milk/water jugs) to share if you have them.  You are welcome to take seeds regardless of if you have any to share.

The Winter Speaker Series is open to the public.  All participants will be asked to register via Eventbrite.  

In this special collaboration, Robin Wall Kimmerer, author, botanist, and founder of Plant Baby Plant, joins youth leader and Nurture Natives founder Esther Bonney for an intergenerational conversation about belonging, reciprocity, and native plant action. 

Together, they will explore questions such as:

How do we create opportunities for young people to have a voice and feel empowered, even when they are not homeowners or decision makers?What kinds of relationships and mentorships help people stay engaged in native plant work over decades?Why do stories, shared practices, and community invitations matter just as much as plant lists?

Robin and Esther will reflect on what invites people into this work, what keeps them here, and what elders and youth have to teach each other.

For more information, please check out the MN-CPPC site. Note that WildOnes is promoting, but not hosting the event.

Kit Sheffield, a Virginia Master Naturalist, will be speaking on “Native Ferns”.  Sheffield leads fern-related hikes and has been featured on gardening podcasts.

In honor of National Seed Swap Day on 1/31, we will hold an informal native seed swap before the program begins

12:30-1:00pm     Registration/Socializing, Seed Swap
  1:00-2:00pm      Speaker
  2:00-2:30pm      Socializing/Clean-up

The Winter Speaker Series is free and open to the public, but please register below on Eventbrite. 

Note: An optional donation of $5 - $10 at the event is appreciated to help offset the cost of the program.

The Wild Ones Nation's Capital Region chapter's Informal Garden Chats are held the first Monday of each month from 7-8 pm ET via Zoom.

Garden Chats are monthly Zoom conversations about a variety of topics including what is happening in our gardens, how we're encouraging native gardening in our communities, ideas for our WildOnes chapter, and more!  

A topic/prompt and Zoom details will be sent out to chapter members via the listserve prior to the meeting.  Past topics have included winter sowing, pruning trees/shrubs, engaging neighbors in native planting, pocket forests/thickets, jumping worms, mosquito control and leaving the leaves.  

Beginners welcome! Bring your stories, questions, or just sit back and listen.

Our upcoming webinar with Basil Camu explores practical, evidence based ways to heal suburban and urban landscapes by working with trees, soil, and natural systems, drawing on real world practices from Leaf & Limb and community centered models for restoring life where we live, work, and play.!  

The Muddy Branch Alliance and the Gaithersburg Parks, Arts, and Recreation Corporation (G-PARC) are hosting an in-person panel discussion all about native plants! Their expert speakers will explain how to get started with native plants, and the benefits they bring to your garden and to the community.

Ahead of their spring native plant sale (watch for more information about that soon!), get the education and inspiration you need to create your very own native plant garden.

It’s happening at the Bohrer Park Activity Center, at 3:00 p.m. on Saturday February 28. No need to RSVP.  Save the date and watch for further announcements about the panelists!

"Working with Landscapers panel" ---How to make the best use of my garden?  What should I ask?  What should I share about my property and about what I want? 

 Backyard Bounty (Kris Colby) Puts together low-cost packages 

Kris has been a very active member of our Wild Ones chapter.  He has given us many ideas and support for our initiatives through our listserv.  He runs a company which gives many levels of service from consulting, landscape design, installation and even maintenance to his broad range of clients throughout Maryland. 

Native PlantScapes (Robert Severynse) 30-minute free consultation Owned by a Virginia Tech graduate with specialists in the DMV.

Native Plant Specialist Rob has always admired nature and found his love of native plants while studying at college. With degrees in Environmental Science and Geography, as well as a minor in Meteorology, his goal is to create positive and lasting changes in our natural world. 

Lauren Hubbard 

Planning Specialist III with the Stormwater BMP Inspection and Maintenance Program Montgomery County Department of Environmental Protection

 Marianne Borelli (not a landscaper, by appointment only) grows plants in her backyard and offers ideas to those who buy from her, including landscapers. She is not in town on the day of the panel but she told me to let you know that it is not just the condition of the plants but also the behavior of them that is important for your garden.

Bee Knees (Lolly Jewet) designs and acts to project manage the contractors who do the work.   Lolly transitioned to landscape design from a career in international development. She appreciates the way landscape design uses both the creative and the analytical sides of her brain, and the way working with native plants allows us to benefit the environment while surrounding ourselves with beauty. 

DC Natives---non-profit encouraging pollinator gardening and vegetable gardening in DC.  Our Wild Ones may like this model of how they bring communities together.   (Contact has been made with board member who will provide someone for the panel)

12:30-1:00pm     Registration/Socializing
1:00-2:00pm     Speaker
2:00-2:30pm     Socializing/Clean-up

The Winter Speaker Series is open to the public.  All participants will be asked to register via Eventbrite.  A registration link will be posted at least 2 weeks prior to the event.  

The Wild Ones Nation's Capital Region chapter's Informal Garden Chats are held the first Monday of each month from 7-8 pm ET via Zoom.

Garden Chats are monthly Zoom conversations about a variety of topics including what is happening in our gardens, how we're encouraging native gardening in our communities, ideas for our WildOnes chapter, and more!  

A topic/prompt and Zoom details will be sent out to chapter members via the listserve prior to the meeting.  Past topics have included winter sowing, pruning trees/shrubs, engaging neighbors in native planting, pocket forests/thickets, jumping worms, mosquito control and leaving the leaves.  

Beginners welcome! Bring your stories, questions, or just sit back and listen.

We will have an Annual Members’ Meeting to share a financial and a membership report.  We’ll also outline the activities we have going.  And of course, you can ask the board your questions.  

Meeting details will be distributed to chapter members via groups.io.

Join Joey Santore, creator of Crime Pays But Botany Doesn’t, for a candid Wild Ones National Webinar examining how inherited garden aesthetics shape native plant landscapes. Drawing on field experience and real ecology, Joey challenges tidy design norms and explores why dense, irregular plant communities are often the most resilient and ecologically sound.

Details coming soon! 

Details coming soon! 

Details coming soon!