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.

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.

Join the LBA SEED Group and NOVA Wild Ones as we explore the Maryland bank of the Potomac River.

- HIke the C&O Canal bike trail and adjacent hiking trails.

- Hunt for paw paws (Park Service rules permit the public to gather up to two paw paw fruits.)

- View the C&O canal's Lock 6 and Lockhouse (from the outside),

- Observe various river features, such as the rubble dam, the kayak slalom course, and Little Falls.  Maybe see some kayakers in action!

The hike is about a 3-mile loop.  The bike trail is generally flat, but the dirt trails can get muddy if wet. so hiking boots or reliable trail shoes are suggested.  Also consider wearing long pants if the weather isn't too hot.

Saturday September 5th  

Meet at 10:00 am at Clara Barton Parkway's Lock 6 Parking Lot (parking is limited);  

Or at 9:00 am outside Barcroft Plaza Glory Days to carpool (please indicate when you sign up if you would are available to drive and how many passengers you can take).

Afterwards, we hope you can you can join us at Glory Days where we'll be meeting to raise a glass together. 

Questions?  Contact Bill Baumeister -- (C): 571-340-7999.

You’ll find a diverse selection of flowers, vines, trees, shrubs, and ferns from five outstanding local nurseries: Nature By Design, Hill House Farm & Nursery, Seven Bends Nursery, Watermark Woods and  Yellow House Natives. The Sale takes place at the visitor parking lot (access via main entrance on Old Waterford Road).

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.

Join Wild Ones for a members‑only tour of Magee Designs, a native plant design/build firm with the owner & host of the Native Plant Podcast.

RSVP Here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/magee-designs-members-only-tour-tickets-1999158517943

Join Wild Ones for an exclusive, members‑only tour of Magee Designs, a native plant design/build firm and wholesale nursery with 20 years of ecological landscaping experience. John Magee is also the host of the Native Plant Podcast, the first podcast focusing on native plants. This private event offers a guided look at the property’s evolution, followed by time to explore independently.

Date & Time:
Thursday, September 19
10:00 AM–1:00 PM

Location:
Magee Designs (address provided after registration)
We've been asked to carpool to this event - so look for information as we get closer.

What to Expect:
• Guided tour with owner John Magee
• Insights into long-term native plant projects and restoration work
• Open exploration time after the tour
• Friendly but energetic dogs on-site
• Attendance limited to 10–15 members due to parking constraints

Eligibility:
This event is open to Wild Ones members from any chapter. Please register to secure your spot.

The event details are not yet finalized.  Please check back closer to the event date.

What do we share?
* Native Plants - flowers, shrubs, tree, and seeds!
* Houseplants, Shrubs, Veg plants/seeds!
* Non-native plants - only if NOT invasive!
* Pots & Garden Stuff!
Label what you bring.
Come early to get help with labels.
Not sure about a plant? Bring it and ask!

Our parking lot area will be marked, so we can sort plants:
* Native Sun * Native Trees/Shrubs
* Native Part Sun * Vegetable/Herb Plants
* Native Shade * Seeds - Native/Veg/Herb
* Native Groundcovers * Misc (Pots/garden stuff)
* Houseplants (Non-native OK inside!)
* Non-native Plants (NOT invasive!)

This event is outside.

We will discuss chapter business and events for the year in a meeting that is open to all members.  We will hold an election of chapter officers for all members in good standing.

Please email us at [email protected] to get the meeting link and passcode 

Any member interested in running for office is welcome to submit a short bio and photo to Chapter Secretary Alys Jarvela 

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.

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.

Zoe Evans, rewilding coach and VP of Partnerships & Programs at Wildr shares a practical, science-informed framework for evaluating a home landscape, identifying its greatest habitat opportunities, and choosing actions that support more plants, insects, birds, and other wildlife.

Registration link coming soon.