Events

PowerPoint Presentation by Sharon Lamberton at Seedling Chapter Zoom meeting. The presentation covered brief plant profiles for the following plants that can offer interest in the winter garden in our part of the country (and are native in Virginia):  1. Winterberry (Ilex verticillata); 2. American Holly (Ilex opaca); 3. Eastern Red Cedar (Juniperus virginiana); 4. River Birch (Betula nigra); 5. Christmas Fern (Polystichum acrostichoides); 6. American Alumroot (Heuchera americana); 7. Partridgeberry (Mitchella repens); 8. Carex species (Carex albicans, Carex blanda, and Carex pensylvanica); 9. Spotted Wintergreen (Chimaphila maculata); 10. Downy Rattlesnake Plantain (Goodyera pubescens); 11. Trumpet Honeysuckle, aka Coral Honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervirens); 12. Hydrangea (Hydrangea arborescens); and Bonus Plant Common Running Cedar (Diphasiastrum digitatum or Lycopodium digitatum). The presentation was about 30 minutes, followed by disussion, and the rest of the hour was devoted to chapter business/discussion among members.

This presentation answers the following questions: What is a native plant? Why are native plants important? Why should we care about invasive species? Does my yard really matter? Includes alternatives for commonly grown invasives. Some examples of garden redesign and incorporating natives into existing plantings will be shown. This presentation will be 1 hour, followed by a brief period of Q&A and time for unstructurrd discussion among participants. 

Sheryl Smith is a certified Virginia Master Naturalist volunteer who specializes in native plants and their benefits. In May 2022 she organized the first Native Plant Garden Open House in the Richmond, Virginia area.

Chapter meeting at which attendees discussed their identification and removal of invasive plants on their own properties. A proposed event later in the month at which chapter members could join in invasive plant removal event hosted by another organization had to be set aside because of an issue encountered by the other organization, but future collaborative work remains feasible. Will require additional coordination.

At this chapter meeting members discussed the importance of planting not just for butterflies (or monarchs) but for other pollinators like native bees. Before the meeting, bee-related resources had been. shared on the chapter's facebook and Next Door pages. We also discussed concerns that the rise of backyard honeybee hives may be complicating efforts to support native bees, and what can be done to mitigate those problems. 

We held a Chapter meeting with a themed discussion of native bees, bee hotels, bee baths. (Members also watched a DIY instructional video about building a butterfly puddler/bee bath on Zoom, during which we turned off the meeting recording). Several members who usually attend emailed that they could not this month for personal reasons. Resources about native bees and Bee Baths (including the link to the video) were shared with members via Social Media (the Seedling's facebook page and Next Door) in advance of the meeting. 

https://www.gpmga.org/spring-garden-fest-information-form

Note: The festival runs 8 a.m.-3 p.m., I listed hours from 7 a.m. - 4 p.m. because of times for exhibitors to set up/take down displays.

The 17th annual Spring Garden Festival is a free, family-friendly event that is a celebration of all things related to gardening. The event includes the much loved GPMGA Plant Sale, with a wide variety of plants at great prices , an Ask the Master Gardener station for free gardening help, and lots of fun gardening-related vendor booths.  For a small fee participants can also increase your gardening knowledge through classes, workshops, and tours. A food truck will be available for breakfast and lunch items.

Note: Registration is now closed for the classes, but attending the Garden Fest itself does not require a registration or payment of a fee.

Four chapter members (2 officers, 2 members) are participating by opening their own gardens as HOST GARDENS for this event organized by a local (RVA-area) master naturalist. The Wild Ones members are participating as Wild Ones. Hosts open their native plant gardens to the public and are available to answer questions. Publicity emphasizes the event is family friendly but asks the public not to bring pets. Hosts have discretion to offer light refreshments and provide handouts/information (including information about Wild Ones). The houses are not included in tours but hosts have discretion to make restrooms available as needed. Public parking is available at each location but varies by location as these are private homes. The organizer has arranged for at least 1 volunteer to be available to assist hosts with crowd management. Participating locations in 2023 are: Ashland, VA (3 locations); *Midlothian, Bon Air, and North Chesterfield (County), VA; the Far West End and Westover Hills neighborhoods in Richmond; *Glen Allen, VA; and *Southeastern VA (Chesapeake Area). (Asterisk by location  indicates location hosted by chapter member).

Content paraphrasing material from Capital Trees pages:
   The Low Line is a 5.5 acre urban greenway featuring at least 75% native plants that "stretches along the James River and Kanawha Canal and Virginia Capital Trail, connecting . . . Great Shiplock Park with Richmond’s Canal Walk." Phase I of the project, The Low Line Gardens (completed in 2016) "serve as a three-acre riparian buffer for the James River watershed." Phase II, the adjoining Low Line Green, completed in 2020, incorporates a rain garden and other features, and involved planting "nearly 2,000 new plants, trees, shrubs, and grasses."
   This tour will be led by staff from Capital Trees, the organization that designed, installed, and maintains the Low Line. To keep the group size manageable in size for discussion and Q&A, it is restricted to participating chapter members and "plus ones" (chapter members may invite a friend or family member).  The tour will involve considerable walking (about 1.5 miles in total) but the area is flat, and seating is available at various points if members need to rest or want to participate in only part of the tour. Wheelchair-accessible public parking is available at and near the entrance to the Low Line at Great Shiplock Park. Participants are encouraged to wear good shoes for walking, apply sunscreen, wear a hat/sunglasses, and bring a bottle of water, as the site is sunny and temperatures may already be hot by mid-May. Restroom facilities (portable toilets) are available at Great Shiplock Park.  

A primarily social Chapter Meeting that includes a topical presentation. This month's presentation, on Techniques for Reducing the Lawn, is being prepared by our Chapter President. 

"Social" Chapter Meetings may include brief administrative updates, but primarily focus on topical presentations or discussion rather than on chapter business. Chapter Members are always encouraged to invite "Plus Ones" (friends who may be new to landscaping with native plants or interested in the chapter) to attend social Chapter Meetings.

With prior permission from the speaker(s), presentations given at Social Chapter Meetings may be recorded for posting online, or the Chapter may convert some Social Chapter Meetings to online or hybrid Public events. If this is done, the event information will be updated to reflect the change. 

Members of the general public who would like to attend an online Social Chapter Meeting are welcome to contact the Chapter at [email protected] to request an invitation/link to the meeting. 

Our Chapter will be exhibiting at the Honey Bee Festival, hosted by the Rockwood Park Backyard Beekeepers Association. The family-friendly festival includes live music, local honey for sale, face painting, games and story telling, food trucks, children's activities, hive equipment, educational "Buzz Talks," an observation hive, and bee-friendly plants (including native plants). 

A free, public presentation by Mary-Ellen Stokes of Arborscapes LLC.
Please join us either in person or online to learn about:
* What makes our trees valuable?
* What do trees--especially native trees--do for us and for the world around us?
* What exactly are "native" trees - and what trees are native in our part of Virginia?
* What can we do to help keep our trees healthy?
* What can we do if we are concerned about wind events, storm, or insect damage?
* What can we do if we need to have a tree cut down?

The presentation will be approximately 40 minutes, followed by 30 minutes of time for Q&A and discussion.

Register through EventBrite at the link below. Registrants with tickets for the virtual option will be sent a link to connect to the presentation online. 

Sharon Burnham, owner of "Garden Vitals" (founded 2008), will present a program describing her journey to native plant gardening. Garden Vitals provides consultation and information customized for clients in all types of gardens but with a particular focus on native plant habitats. Garden Vitals  provides in-person consultations primarily throughout the Roanoke Valley, but also offers consultations by phone or video call nationwide. Sharon regularly speaks on a range of garden topics, including Habitat Gardening, Native Shrubs for the Home Landscape, Edible Native Plants for the Home Landscape, and more. 

Members of the public are welcome to attend Zoom presentations hosted by the Wild Ones Greater Richmond Virginia (Seedling) Chapter. To request a link for this meeting, please email the Chapter at [email protected].

With prior permission from the speaker/presenter, Zoom presentations may be recorded for distribution to registered attendees or later posting online. .Currently there are no plans to record the July 17 program. 

Landscaper Katie Neal will present a free program on techniques you can use to “lose your lawn” and make room to plant perennial native food with an ecosystems perspective! 

The program will include time for Q&A after the presentation, and will focus on:  

·       Residential scale ecological landscape design

·       The crossover of residential design with native plant agriculture, drawing inspiration from plant communities in the area 

·       Ideas for losing the lawn and planting perennial native food in your yard with an ecosystems perspective. 

A landscaper, gardener/farmer, master naturalist, and outdoor educator, Ms. Neal is interested in building relationships to the land and to each other that reach beyond the current dominant paradigms. 

In 2022, together with two friends, Katie started Future Habitats, an ecological landscaping cooperative. Together, they share a passion for removing invasive species and lawn to replace them with habitats that work better for all of us.

Chapter Officers will meet to discuss our continuing progress toward chartering and to review/adjust planned fall activities as needed. Chapter members are always  welcome to attend Board meetings.

Our chapter will have an informational exhibit at Lewis Ginter's wonderful Fall Plant Sale, which opens with a preview for Lewis Ginter members on September 14 from 4 p.m.-7 p.m. The sale then opens to the public from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on September 15 and 16!

The plant sale takes place outside the Garden in Parking Lot C. There is no admission fee or ticket necessary to attend the plant sale. Visitors who wish to purchase an  admission to visit the garden will also have access to the Lewis Ginter Seed Library.   

The Wild Ones exhibit will be present during all three days, with various chapter members available to answer questions and talk with the public about native plants and Wild Ones. Stop by our tent and have a chat! 

At this Chapter Meeting our Membership Chair will present about his experiences gardening with native plants in containers. The meeting will also include a brief presentation from the acting directors (officers) regarding the Chapters progress since the founding of the Seedling in February 2022 and an update to members on progress toward chartering, including the adoption of our Bylaws. 

Beginning in 2024, the September meeting will be the formal annual member meeting.

This meeting is restricted to chapter members.

Join Wild Ones Honorary Director Heather Holm as she explores the nesting habitats, life cycles, pollen collection, brood rearing, and general characteristics of some of the most common native bees in eastern North America, while highlighting the pollination of native plants and the mutualism between native plants and native bees.

When creating and managing thriving habitats for native bees, many factors such as seasonal phenology, nesting strategies, and flower preferences must be considered—and with approximately 3,600 species in North America (north of Mexico), there are many unique aspects to keep in mind when managing successful landscapes for bees. 

DATE CHANGED TO SUNDAY, OCTOBER 15 (rain is expected on Saturday).

The chapter will host a Seed Collection Workshop and Winter Sowing demonstration for chapter members and "plus ones" (interested guests of chapter members). 

Attendees will be provided with information about how to collect and clean seeds from a variety of plants present on the property.

Participants will be given containers and labels to use if they wish to try their hand collecting seeds, and following the demo can gather in small groups to practice separating seeds from seed heads (some seeds have been pre-collected for this purpose).

Seeds (either collected/cleaned during the workshop or selected from packets prepared in advance) can be taken home.

A winter-sowing demonstration also will be given!

Light refreshments will be available, and the schedule should also allow some time for socializing/getting to know your fellow members.  

Because this event will take place at a private home/garden, we ask that chapter members RSVP to help the host plan for adequate seating, refreshments, etc.
Parking is available in the driveway and on the street (in a residential neighborhood). The location has been sent to chapter members. 

The Chapter will exhibit at the festival. Additional details will be added when made available by the event organizer. Estimate of attendees is a guess; I will adjust if I receive a # from the organized. 

Join us for an enlightening webinar featuring authors, Neil Diboll and Hilary Cox, as they present their latest book, "The Gardener’s Guide to Prairie Plants." This comprehensive compendium is a treasure trove of knowledge for gardeners looking to incorporate native prairie plants into their landscapes. Neil and Hilary will delve into the making and application of this essential guide, sharing rich historical and ecological insights about prairie ecosystems, all while showcasing stunning images of prairie flora. 

Join us as Chris Migliaccio, photographer and Professor Emeritus (Ecology and Environmental Science, Miami Dade College), shares practical insights and beautiful images that center on his developing garden in Henrico County. After many years of "growing native" in South Florida, Central Virginia has offered new gardening discoveries along with a new palette of plants. Professor Migliaccio's visual and scientific background lend a special perspective sure to make this a wonderful presentation. 

Members of the public who are not members of Wild Ones but would like to attend this presentation must request a meeting invitation/link. To request the link, contact the Chapter at [email protected] no later than November 15! 

This presentation will be recorded. Please note that the presentation is copyrighted by Chris Migliaccio/2023 and may be shared only with prior written permission of the author. Contact information for the author will be provided in the presentation. 

In 2023, this end-of-the-calendar-year celebration is purely a social event for those Chapter members who are available to gather. We can share and "toast" our gardening experiences (and lessons learned) this year, and members are encouraged to request to "share screen" to showcase photos of favorite plants, events, or experiences any of us wish to highlight.