Events

Event Information: https://stmalib.libnet.info/event/11297832

Join Marlene Smith, president of Wild Ones Chesapeake Bay, and Molly Moore, president of Southern Maryland Audubon, as they introduce participants to the 10 simple steps to winter sowing. Learn how to grow your own veggies, herbs, annuals, and native plants from seeds, in milk jugs in the dead of winter. 

In this in-person workshop, you’ll seed your own containers to take home. We will have milk jugs available, along with all other supplies, including seeds. 

Please bring at least one clean milk jug (translucent, not white) to help replenish our supplies to keep these workshops going. Workshop is free and open to all. Registration required.

Participating Partners: University of Maryland Extension Master Gardeners, St. Mary's County Community Development Corporation, St. Mary's Garden Club, Southern Maryland Audubon Society, and Wild Ones Chesapeake Bay.

Our communities need more native gardens! However, proposing, planning, and carrying out garden projects can be complicated. Jimmy Rogers of Vibrant Gardening will discuss several community projects he's led in Laurel, MD, and share the opportunities and red flags he looks for when planning a new project. He will talk about creating a vision, gathering and engaging project stakeholders, planning the work, and ensuring that the garden continues to thrive in the future. There will be time for Q&A at the end.

Are you or your group interested in distributing native plants to your community? Learn how to get free seedlings from Bona Terra to give to your community during our Seedling Giveaway Training Session!

Once a member in a leadership position of your group attends this workshop, your group will be qualified to receive free community pots of seedlings to give out at your event! Here are the steps!

Fill out the sign-up form here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe8_u-of8nZ3J4WRfj1kCtufWrwVnVf-ktY0KcEAstJgtUteg/viewform?usp=headerCome to the Seedling Giveaway Training Session on Saturday, March 1st from 10am to 1pm. The workshop will take place at our new nursery location (you will receive the address after you fill out the form) either outside if the weather is clear or indoors if necessary. Be sure to wear layers either way, and bring a notebook to relay this information to your team!

One of the main things that we'll be going over is how to organize and set up your seedling station to make it easy for you to give out as many seedlings as possible. Our experience has been that there is some pretty high demand for the free seedlings, and having some systems in place helps everything run much smoother. We will be going over:

How to organize and set up your seedling stationSupplies you’ll needOrganizational stuff: labelling, information distribution, and recording dataHow to divide seedlingsChoosing which quantities and species will work best for your eventDifferent roles for each volunteer Q&A from Marlene Smith, President of Wild Ones Chesapeake Bay and experienced Seedling Giveaway Organizer and Distributor

Learn the basics of designing a home garden using native plants with Ana Lee of Perfectly Imperfect Gardens.

Public gardens hold tremendous power to influence landscaping norms and inspire change. By showcasing the beauty, functionality, and ecological value of native plants, these spaces help foster biodiversity, advocate for sustainable practices, and engage communities in environmental stewardship. 

This webinar will explore how public and demonstration gardens serve as powerful tools for native plant advocacy. Attendees will learn how gardens move beyond aesthetics to spark action—turning appreciation into engagement and inspiring participants to replicate these practices in their own communities.

We will hear insights from Nicole Machuca, Environmental Social Scientist at the Field Museum, on how public gardens influence behaviors, foster stewardship, and connect people to conservation efforts through research and community engagement. The Wild Ones Capital Region NY and the Wild Ones San Diego (CA) Chapters will share their experiences building native plant demonstration gardens and how these spaces drive community engagement, education, and advocacy. And We'll finish with a conversation exploring how public gardens create a lasting impact beyond planting day moderated by Kelly Kapuzzi, Demonstration Garden Char with the Wild Ones Hocking Hills (OH) Chapter.

Heather Evans of Design Your Wild will talk about how to use trees and shrubs to add structure to a native yard – creating privacy, dividing rooms, adding winter interest, blurring edges, and creating cooling shade. Trees and shrubs also generally support many times the number of native insects as wildflowers.

Details coming soon! 

Details coming soon! 

Details coming soon!