Chapter Events

Grow your own native perennials from seed! Experienced grower Sharon Burnham will demonstrate two different methods for starting native perennials. We’ll talk about the basic requirements for most seeds: cold and moisture. We’ll demonstrate how to imitate nature by using the refrigerator and freezer or by seeding pots with a method to yield the best success. We’ll also talk about other aspects of seed starting, how to research each plant, and what to do once they’ve sprouted. 

We'll also be distributing seeds for you to take home!

All members are welcome to join us at our first Board Meeting of the year.

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.

February's chapter meeting will feature Sam Chappell from the Blue Ridge Soil and Water Conservation District about the work they do as part of the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation. We will also be hearing about the VCAP Program, which is a program for homeowners who are interested in conserving water in your landscape (e.g. rain gardens or rain water harvesting), promoting wildlife habitat (i.e. added vegetation to aid in infiltration can also create spaces for wildlife), reduce surface water pollution, among other benefits. Plus, through the VCAP Program your project may be eligible for financial aid! 

From the SWCD website: "The Virginia Conservation Assistance Program (VCAP) is an urban cost-share program that provides financial incentives and technical and educational assistance to property owners installing eligible Best Management Practices (BMPs) in Virginia’s participating Soil and Water Conservation Districts (SWCDs).

These practices can be installed in areas of your yard where problems like erosion, poor drainage, or poor vegetation occur. Qualified sites shall be used for residential, commercial, or recreational purposes with a proposed practice that addresses a need."

More information about the VCAP Program and the Blue Ridge SWCD in the link below.

We hope to see you there!

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.!  

How much do you know about your local deer population, other than they like to eat your garden?  Master Gardener and Wild Ones President Sharon Burnham will speak at the Roanoke Home & Garden Show, presenting tips to manage your garden with less stress so that you have a garden to show off! She wrote the section on deer in the Guide to Gardening to Southwest Virginia Plants and will show examples of some of her favorite deer-resistant plants.

Come learn about the 5 critical components to making good compost from Davey Stewards of Star City Compost.  He'll talk about the proper C:N ratio in a compost pile, moisture content, airflow through the pile, inoculating the pile with decomposers, and size of the pile.  He'll talk about how people can ensure they are accounting for those components in backyard piles, as well as how it's addressed at Star City Compost. 

Star City Compost officially opened their doors as Roanoke's only composting facility in January 2024. Star City Compost provides residential and commercial services for composting responsibly, so food scraps stay out of the landfill and instead become nutrient-rich soil. With their strong mission, values and community building rooted long before that, the vision of creating an ecological infrastructure for the local community has come to life in the greater Roanoke area. 

Come prepared to learn and ask questions, whether you're new to composting, a seasoned composter, or even new to the idea of composting. We are lucky to have Star City Compost's wealth of knowledge with us.

We hope to see you there!

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.

Learn about tools that can up your game in the garden – and some best practices on tool care and sharpening before the busy season. Bring those dull tools you have and get them sharpened by Any Edge Sharpening (for a fee) during the meeting. Your garden will thank you.

Learn propagation techniques from Ian Caton, owner of Wood Thrush Native Nursery and a local legend in the native plant world, located just down Hwy 221 in Floyd, VA. If you're not sure where you've heard of Ian before, check your Plant Virginia Natives SWVA guide - he has contributed to the first iteration of the guide and some of the great photos of native plants come from his observations.

Ian will be sharing what he knows about propagating native plants using cuttings, and we can't wait to learn how to multiply our native garden favorites for future seasons.

Read a little about Ian here, or check out Wood Thrush Natives's website.

https://www.lwladesign.com/people/ian-caton/

https://woodthrushnatives.com/

Can you reliably identify some of our common native trees? It can be an overwhelming task with so many different sources - field guides, phone apps, Google images, your friends' opinions! Each method is different and has varying levels of reliability.  In Part I of a two-part program, Professor Heather Butler will teach us how to apply some basic steps and tips for identifying the trees that surround us. You'll never look at the trees on your walks in the same way you did before.

 Prof. Butler is  an Assistant Professor of Biology and Program Head of Science at the School of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics, Virginia Western Community College. She teaches Dendrology, Biology, and other subjects, and is the committee chair of the Bee Campus Committee.

Part I is open to everyone. Part II will include a field walk for members only to practice these identification skills and techniques, location, date and time TBD. 

Details coming soon! 

Details coming soon! 

Details coming soon!