Welcome to Wild Ones Chesapeake Bay Chapter!
We promote environmentally friendly, sound landscaping to preserve biodiversity through the preservation, restoration, and establishment of native plant communities across Southern Maryland.
Wild Ones chapters are a space where like-minded people gather to support each other in learning about landscaping with native plants and to share with others in their communities and networks about why it’s important to reintroduce native plants into public and private gardens and how to go about doing it. Chapters are where change happens. We are excited to offer local residents the opportunity to expand their impact in the natural landscaping movement and help promote native plants!
SAVE THE DATES for our Upcoming Chapter Events
Please join us for one or more of our upcoming events. Most events are free and open to the public, but please note that some require registration. Please be sure to invite friends and family! Visit our Events page, our chapter Google calendar, or our Facebook Events page for registration and/or RSVP information.
Recent Posts/News
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- Unity Gardens – Cultivating Communities, One Native Garden at a Time
Wild Ones Chesapeake Bay is wildly appreciative of our partnerships with businesses and organizations in the community. Unity Gardens recently joined our chapter, and we are excited to share with you their amazing grant opportunity for organizations in Anne Arundel County. Fall 2025 Grant Cycle Unity Gardens are now accepting applications for their Fall 2025… Read more: Unity Gardens – Cultivating Communities, One Native Garden at a Time - National Pollinator Week June 16-22, 2025
Happy National Pollinator Week from Wild Ones Chesapeake Bay! The 2025 Pollinator Poster titled Pollinators Weave Connections was “crafted by Deanna Derosia, highlighting the essential role pollinators play in creating and expressing human culture, in all of its forms. “As we reflect on the interconnectedness of our world, let’s unite in a collective effort to… Read more: National Pollinator Week June 16-22, 2025 - BENEFICIAL PLANT SELECTION: Things to consider when making choices
Members of Wild Ones are committed to restoring native landscapes and educating the public. We are often asked a seemingly simple question: “Which are the best native plants?” Join us for the recording of our May Garden Chat where Barry Stahl (President of the Board of Directors of Chesapeake Natives, Inc. and member of Wild… Read more: BENEFICIAL PLANT SELECTION: Things to consider when making choices - Penstemon hirsutus, Hairy Beardtongue
Did you know that there are five Penstemon species documented in the Maryland Plant Atlas? Three of the five are available commercially and included in the new Commercial Maryland Native Plant List (CMNPL) as of 5/14/25. Of the remaining two, Penstemon laevigatus (Smooth, eastern beardtongue) is excluded due to its status uncertainty (SU), and… Read more: Penstemon hirsutus, Hairy Beardtongue
A Few of My Favorite Native Things
Native bees buzzing and fireflies lighting
Monarches eclosing and new species sightings
Hummingbirds hover on fast-moving wings
These are a few of my favorite things
Red oaks and white oaks in decades old glory
Dogwoods and redbuds in the understory
Paw paw, persimmon, sassafras seedlings
These are a few of my favorite things
Beechdrops on beech roots and milkweed fluff flowing
Seed heads turn brown as the plants finish growing
Winter approaches and then then comes the spring
When I’ll enjoy more of my native things
When the frost bites
When the wind stings
When I'm feeling sad
I simply remember my native gard’ning
And then I don't feel so bad
by Marlene Smith, President Wild Ones Chesapeake Bay