Events

Come learn the winter sowing technique for growing Virginia native plants on a budget.  We will provide potting mix, tools, and seeds, but you are also welcome to bring your own seeds to swap and share.  Experienced sowers welcome to come sow as part of the group as this is a great social setting to meet others in the area with the same passion for sustainable gardening.

Please register through Eventbrite.  The venue has limited space and we cannot accommodate ticket sales at the door.  

Tickets are $5 to cover the cost of supplies.

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/winter-sowing-workshop-i-hosted-by-wild-ones-tickets-1967602511077?aff=oddtdtcreator

Learn how to sow native plants using the milk jug outdoor winter sowing method. Enhance your garden and support wildlife on a low budget! You can either bring your own supplies (milk jugs, potting mix, weather resistant marker, scissors, duct/painters tape, soldering iron and native plant seeds) or pay a $5 activity fee and receive supplies.

Registration Info coming. Cash only for this event. 

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.

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.!  

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.

Join us for a guided tour of the Native Spring Ephemeral garden at Wolf Trap.   

Park in the lot for the Wolf Trap Loop Trail. The garden is in the fenced in area next to the Filene Center. 

Share and swap native plants and seeds with your friends and neighbors.  This is a great event for gardeners with established gardens to offload surplus plants to help out newbies and folks on a tight budget.

Join award-winning author, photographer, and educator Rick Darke for What Is Wild and Why It Matters, a free national webinar on Tuesday, April 28th at 10 am CT. Discover how inviting a bit of authentic wildness can create a vibrant landscape that sustains you and local biodiversity. This national event is presented in collaboration between Wild Ones and Homegrown National Park.

We are adding a Mosquito Bucket of Doom workshop and demonstration.   We plan to have kits available for purchse.  Details to follow soon.

Bring your extra seedlings, houseplant propagations, and garden volunteers to share! No plants listed on the DCR Invasive species list will be allowed. 

We'll plan to set up at 1:30, and swap plants starting at 2pm. 

Yellow House Natives is a new native plant nursery in Berryville, VA.  They have graciously offered to host us for a tour and answer questions. (and maybe do some plant shopping! :-D) We'd love to carpool or meet you there! Please RSVP by letting us know on the FB event or email us at [email protected] 

Visit home gardens near you to learn approaches for NoVA and meet other local native plant enthusiasts.

You must register through the link to receive garden addresses:

https://forms.gle/fcS45HDqdkijtr2U6

Visit home gardens near you to learn approaches for NoVA and meet other local native plant enthusiasts.

You must register through the link to receive garden addresses:

https://forms.gle/fcS45HDqdkijtr2U6

You planted native. Your neighbor has opinions. Maybe your HOA does too. If you’ve ever felt like the hardest part of native plant gardening is the conversations, not the gardening, you’re not alone.

Wild Ones is thrilled to share this upcoming free webinar as part of the 2026 Less Lawn More Life Challenge. Join Lorraine Johnson for a practical conversation on navigating HOA rules, addressing neighbor concerns, and fostering community conversations about native plant gardening and ecological landscapes.

Come visit a local gardener's established garden and new beds and pond.  Discuss successes and failure and enjoy some native plant company. 

Details to follow

Native plants are the foundation of habitat, but wildlife need more than food to thrive. Join ecologist and Certified Wildlife Biologist Shaun McCoshum, PhD, to explore how nesting sites, shelter, water, soil conditions, and other often-overlooked resources can transform a yard into a functioning ecosystem that supports biodiversity year-round.

Registration link coming soon.

What does it really take to turn a conventional lawn into a thriving native meadow? Join Owner & Principal, New Directions in the American Landscape (NDAL), Sara Weaner Cooper for a candid look at her family's ongoing lawn-to-meadow transformation featured in The New York Times and BBC. Drawing from three years of hands-on experience, Sara will share the methods, lessons learned, successes, and challenges of converting turfgrass into a dynamic native plant community. Participants will gain practical insights into site preparation, planting, management, and the ecological principles that guide successful meadow establishment, along with realistic expectations for how these landscapes evolve over time.

Registration link coming soon.

Bats are among the most important and misunderstood wildlife in our communities. Join experts from Bat Conservation International to explore how native plants, healthy insect populations, and thoughtful landscape design can help support bats. Learn about the ecological role of bats and discover practical ways to create habitat for North America's night flyers right in your own backyard.

Registration link coming soon.

Monarch butterflies depend on a network of habitats stretching across North America, and home landscapes can play an important role in their survival. Join experts from Monarch Joint Venture to explore the science behind monarch conservation, including the importance of milkweed, nectar resources, and regionally appropriate habitat. Learn practical ways to support monarchs through native landscaping and help sustain one of the world's most remarkable migrations.
 

Registration link coming soon.