On Saturday, March 9, the chapter hosted USDA private lands biologist Bob Glennon, who gave an interesting talk on establishing native plants from seeds and native plant basics. To help us reach a broader audience, Mr. Glennon has generously made his presentation slides and handout available for the chapter to post online. The slides begin by covering essential information for establishing plants from seeds but also extend to include helpful information about installing plants, plant spacing, the value of native shrubs, and more. Many slides also feature lovely photographs of native plants. Highlights of key topics include:
- What’s native — and how to determine what’s native here
- Sources of native species plants and seeds
- Establishment considerations
- Selecting species (site considerations, emphasizing the importance of soil drainage)
- Plants that can do well in low-fertility soils or soils with low pH
- Landowner preference (considerations; what are you looking for?)
- Use of herbicides/alternatives if not willing to use herbicides
- Types of equipment (mostly for larger projects)
- When, how much, and how to sow
- Seeding in small areas
- Maintenance/management after seeding
- Pitfalls of establishment
- Weed management
- Planting and spacing
- Shrub plantings
The presentation slides can be accessed on the chapter website in the “Topics” page or by clicking here.
The presentation handout, which lists RVA-native (Henrico County) species for which seeds are available from Roundstone Seeds, by clicking here.