Welcome Spring! Today marks the beginning of meteorological spring, with Daylight Saving Time just around the corner. I can’t wait for the weather to get warmer and the gardens to start waking up for the season. We have an exciting lineup of programs for you in March. Please read on, as there’s sure to be something of interest to everyone, including our March Garden Chat with a presentation by chapter Secretary Miranda Yourick. And if you’re in the Twin Beaches area, please stop by the Twin Beaches Library to check out our “Welcome Spring” display case.
Featured Highlights
Bills in the Maryland General Assembly that will permanently make May the official, commemorative native plant month in Maryland have their hearings this month.
📍 Location for Both Hearings:
Maryland General Assembly
100 State Circle
Annapolis, MD 21401
🌿 Senate Hearing (SB229)
Hearing Date: Thursday, March 12, 1:00 pm
Sign-Up Opens: March 10 for written and oral testimony
🌱 House Hearing (HB217)
Hearing Date: Tuesday, March 17, 1:00 pm
Sign-Up Opens: March 13 for written and oral testimony
Passage of these bills will support Maryland’s Native Plant Program, which promotes the use of native plants in landscapes, educates residents about their value to wildlife, and develops a robust network of growers, retailers, garden professionals, and home gardeners to plant more natives in Maryland.
What can you do?
–Spread the word with family and friends!
-Share this email!
-Is your residence or business located in Maryland’s Legislative District 27? If so, you’re invited to District 27 Night in Annapolis on Thursday March 5, 2026. For more information, visit their registration form.
-Contact your legislators by calling or emailing! Or submit written testimony in advance of one or both meetings. For more information, visit January Garden Chat news blog.
-Attend one or both hearings. If you know of any students who are passionate about native plants, invite them to make their voice heard by attending alongside Nurture Natives. Youth presence makes a powerful impact. Legislators consistently express that when young people show up, they listen. For more information, visit Nurture Natives’ registration form.
Together we can make every May “Maryland Native Plant Month”!
March 2026 Events
Join us this week at the College of Southern Maryland (CSM) LaPlata Campus for our winter sowing workshop or for the one-year anniversary celebration of the CMS Seedbox Seed Library. Later in the month, you won’t want to miss our members’ presentations – the first at the Twin Beaches Library by members Robin Madel and Sue Williams on Right Plant Right Place, and another by chapter Secretary, Miranda Yourick, at our March Garden Chat. We close out the month back at CSM with a free viewing of the film “The Little Things That Run the World.”
Winter Sowing Workshop
Tuesday, March 3rd, 2026 at 10:00 am
College of Southern Maryland, 8730 Mitchell Rd, La Plata, MD, 20646 Map
We’ll provide all the supplies you need — jugs, soil, seeds — and you’ll be able to take home a mini nursery or two! The plants you grow can be added to your own gardens, shared with family/friends/neighbors, or donated to local gardens or plant swaps. Whatever you choose to do with them, it’s just plain fun to winter sow and watch your seeds sprout and grow!
Seed Swap Birthday Party
Thursday, March 5th, 2026 at 12:00 pm
College of Southern Maryland, 8730 Mitchell Rd, La Plata, MD, 20646 Map
Join us for a Seed Swap Party in celebration of the one-year anniversary of opening “The Seed Box,” CSM’s Seed Library! Whether you’re looking to pick up some seeds to plant this spring, hoping to clean out your collection from past seasons, or just want to spend time with other local gardeners, this event is for you!
Right Plant Right Place
Monday, March 23rd, 2026 at 6:30 pm
Twin Beaches Library – North Beach, 4100 5th St, North Beach, MD, 20714 Map
Many people are looking to add native plants to their gardens but don’t know what to get or what is native for our area. This presentation will go over some of the most common native plants and where to plant them for success. Native Plants are essential because they are the foundation of the ecosystem. Native Plants are those that an ecosystem depends on in order to thrive. We can help fight the biodiversity crisis one yard at a time.
Garden Chat/Member Meeting
Tuesday, March 24th, 2026 at 7:00 pm
Online/Virtual
Join us for our bi-monthly Garden Chat with a presentation by chapter secretary Miranda Yourick, owner of Earthly Delights Native Gardening. REGISTRATION LINK TO FOLLOW.
All Wild Ones members are welcome to attend and invite a guest!
The Little Things That Run the World
Friday, March 27th, 2026 at 6:00 pm
College of Southern Maryland, 8730 Mitchell Rd, La Plata, MD, 20646 Map
Join of for a screening of the film, The Little Things That Run the World, at the College of Southern Maryland Bee Campus LaPlata Campus. You don’t want to miss this important message, including cameo appearances by Sam Droege, the leading voice in native bee conservation.
Watch the trailer here.
Check out this great resource: Maryland 2026 Native Plant Sales and Seed Swaps. Compiled by Amanda Wray, President of Wild Ones Greater Baltimore, this is a comprehensive list of upcoming events across the state, compiled from Maryland Native Plant Society and community sources. Please feel free to submit any you know of that are for native plants in Maryland!
Please visit our Events page, our chapter Google calendar, or our Facebook page for all of our events and their details, including registration and/or RSVP information. Please be sure to invite friends and family!
Recent News Blogs
If you’re not following our News blogs, please check them out. This is one of the ways we keep our members and community up to date on what’s happening in our chapter. As always, we invite all members to contribute to our chapter’s News blog and/or social media channels. If you have anything related to native plants that you’d like to write about for publication on our News blog or social media, please email us, along with any photos or videos, and we’ll be happy to publish them. Likewise, if your work in the community has been recognized in the media or if you’ve received an award, please let us know so we can share it with our chapter members and the national office. We know our members are doing a lot of great work out in our community, and we’d like to share and recognize your accomplishments!
Volunteers Welcome!
Please mark your calendars for several events later this spring where we could use your help. If you are interested in volunteering with us, please save these dates on your calendars. We will have a volunteer signup form in the near future for you to register to volunteer at these events.
Seed Swap Festival
📆Saturday, April 11th, 2026
⏰11:00 am to 3:00 pm (Eastern Time)
📍Mount Rainier Nature Center, 4701 31st Pl, Mt Rainier, MD, 20712
Conservation Carnival
📆Saturday, April 18th, 2026
⏰8:00 am to 4:00 pm (Eastern Time)
📍Camp Winona, 6885 Winona Pl, Hughesville, MD, 20637
Maryland Day
📆Saturday, April 25th, 2026
⏰9:00 am to 4:00 pm (Eastern Time)
📍University of Maryland College Park, College Park, MD, 20742
NatureFest
📆Saturday, May 30th, 2026
⏰11:00 am to 3:00 pm (Eastern Time)
📍College of Southern Maryland, 8730 Mitchell Rd, La Plata, MD, 20646
Garden Workdays
As spring approaches, we invite you to consider joining us for workdays at one or more of the native demonstrations gardens that we support. Weekly workdays will be starting soon at the Leonardtown Library Front Yard native gardens, led by chapter members Liz Curtz and Marlene Smith. And we are in the planning stages of restoring the foundation garden bed at the Good Earth Natural Food Store in Leonardtown with a native pollinator garden. led by members Amy Henderson and Marlene Smith.
Wild Ones Chesapeake Bay is deeply rooted in native plants and cultivating partnerships, while striving to educate, advocate, and collaborate to connect people and native plants for a healthy planet. Our vision is native plants and natural landscapes thriving in every community. Check out our Events page, Google calendar, Facebook, and/or Instagram for our upcoming events. And don’t forget to subscribe to our new YouTube channel and email subscriber list!
