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By: Kassandra Givler, October 2026 The beautyberry (Callicarpa americana) goes by many names: sourbush, sourberry, bunchberry, French mulberry, there are probably more that I don’t even know about. Its beauty is nothing to compare it to; even its invasive look alikes can’t compare. It’s a wonder why some buy nonnatives, when the stuff we actually have at home is better. Photo from Nuts for Natives The American beautyberry’s vibrant purple is a sight to see. Nearing the end of

By Kassandra Givler, September 2026 It is pawpaw season! I see many things happening that surround pawpaws! There’s a Pawpaw Festival coming up this September at the Powhatan State Park. There are also separate events where you can take a sapling and/or fruits in various parts of VA. I never had tried one prior to this post. I’ve always been curious to try the fruit, but never had the chance. Upon scrolling on instagram I saw a post from American Food Atlas, about regional

By: Amanda Cross

Reading Water, Soil, and Plants in the Places Your Yard Can’t Make Up Its Mind By Taylor Coxon, July 2026 Some parts of a yard are easy to understand. A hot, sunny slope? Dry. The edge of a pond? Wet. The shady patch under mature trees? A mysterious woodland kingdom where turf grass goes to lose its will to live. But then there are the confusing places. The low spot that puddles after a storm, then turns crispy in July. The ditch edge that is soggy in March and dusty by Augus

Downtown Greens Conservation Plant Nursery A community-driven restoration project By Em Ford Jul 31, 2026 The very beginning, a single table of plants in Winter 2025. Photo credit: Em Ford The Downtown Greens Conservation Plant Nursery: Considering Our History for How We Tend Our Future Gardens Since 1995, Downtown Greens has been the best kept ‘Secret Garden’ for accessible, public greenspace and nature-based educational experiences in Downtown Fredericksburg. Over the cou

We finished up our season of Native Plant Garden Tours this weekend. I am so grateful to each of our chapter members who opened up their gardens for us to visit! The tours showcased the incredible diversity of landscapes, homeowners, and conservation efforts that are transforming the Central Rappahannock Region with native plants. From an Aikido Dojo in Spotsylvania to urban lots in Fredericksburg to riverfront landscapes in King George and farmland in Stafford County, each

Emalee Owens, July 2026 In July, I had the opportunity to attend the Cornell Lab of Ornithology's Educator Retreat in Ithaca, New York. You might recognize the Cornell Lab from the eBird database or the Merlin Bird ID app. Educators from across the country applied, and the Lab selected 27 participants, with travel and lodging funded through the generosity of donors. Each morning in my kindergarten classroom, my students arrive to the sights and sounds of the Cornell Lab's Fee

by Stacey Churchill, June 30, 2026 I will admit to a bit of a panic when I saw we were nearing the end of the month and I wasn't sure which book I would write about this month! I decided to go with a super useful and beautiful plant guide. The Maryland Native Plant Guide Piedmont Region was produced by a partnership between the University of Maryland Extension, the Maryland Native Plant Society, the Department of National Resources and the Maryland Department of Agriculture

by Stacey Churchill, May 26, 2026 I have been fascinated by permaculture concepts for a long time, but it has always seemed too big and too challenging to implement in an established garden space. All the same, I keep reading about it, trying to pull out ideas I can put to use. In her book Think Like an Ecosystem, Amélie des Plantes lays out a vision for gardens that function like self-sustaining wild spaces. She discusses the need to begin permaculture planning by observing

By Stacey Churchill, April 18, 2026 I was captivated by Dr. Simard’s Finding the Mother Tree , and despite (or maybe because of) the criticism her work has received, I knew I wanted to read her latest. While Dr. Suzanne Simard’s research in her latest book, When the Forest Breathes , is rooted in the Douglas Firs and Birch of her native British Columbia, her message carries a truth that resonates for me here in Virginia. Whether you are standing beneath a Douglas Fir in Briti

By Stacey Churchill, March 22, 2026 I feel as though I am always in a hurry and I definitely have fallen into the trap of wanting immediate results in everything I do. Reading Louise Agee Wrinkle’s book, Listen to the Land: Creating a Southern Woodland Garden , caused me to slow down, take a breath and wallow - wallow in the breath-taking photographs of her family’s two-acre property in Birmingham, Alabama. I had picked up the book because I am in the process of creating a n

by Stacey Churchill, February 19. 2026 It seemed appropriate that for Black History Month I re-read Soil: The Story of a Black Mother's Garden by Camille Dungy. On Christmas Eve each year my family shares our favorite book read that year - this was my book in 2024. It is so beautifully written that I was happy to return to those pages. This book offers a narrative that resonates deeply with anyone who has ever swapped a manicured lawn for a biodiverse ecosystem . For the

By Stacey Churchill January 15, 2026 I love to read, especially non-fiction. In 2026 I decided to try to read at least one native plant or native-plant adjacent book each month and I thought I’d take you all along for the journey with me. I’d love to hear what you are reading in the comments, or if you are willing, you could write up a summary for us to post here on our chapter blogs - just like Ruth Landry-Stone has done. My January read was a Christmas gift from my daugh

By Ruth Landry-Stone January 13, 2026 On yet another bone chilling day in January, I peer out the window at Winter's palette of grey and brown. I long for the warmth of vibrant color. I retreat to the comfort of my sunroom where I take a seat in the rocking chair that is placed directly in the sun's rays. To further take off the chill, my gaze falls on the coral red blossoms of the Desire Amaryllis. I exhale. Thankfully, the room is home to green leafed palm trees, flowering

By Ruth Landry-Stone November 20, 2025 So, last week on a dark, cold Monday night in November, I went to an educational meeting at the local library sponsored by several local non-profit organizations. I learned a lot. It got darker, even with the lights on. The topic was PFAS. Toxic Biosolid sludge from wastewater plants that is being used as fertilizer on agricultural fields throughout Virginia and the United States. This toxic matter is being given to farmers free of cha

Sixteen of our members gathered on December 1, 2025 at Howell Branch Library for an evening of Winter Sowing our own native plants. Charter Member Laurel Major hosted our workshop, with an assist from Maureen Aylward (also a Charter Member!). We started the evening watching a video from Homegrown National Park , with Doug Tallamy explaining the importance of growing natives on our own private land. As with all things Doug Tallamy, it was worth the watch and provided a big

We were so excited to host our first annual Membership and Business Meeting on October 15, 2025 at the Fredericksburg Branch Library Theater! It was a chance to celebrate the revival and expansion of our local chapter of the Virginia Native Plant Society. Every good celebration begins with food! And boy did we have food! The meeting gave us a chance to come together, to meet others with our interests and to relax and chat. Stacey Churchill provided an overview of the three

A note from our President, Stacey Churchill: Mike and Pat Worsham shared this great story of how adding just one potted butterfly milkweed in a sunny spot provided monarch habitat. Even if you don’t have much space, you can still make a difference! Here’s an easy way to plant natives and create your own small butterfly garden. All you need is a flower pot that drains well and some butterfly milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa). This might make a fun school science project too. The

Our chapter is official and it is time to get out the word! The Tree Fredericksburg Native Plant Festival on September 28, 2025 was the perfect opportunity to set up a table and reach out to like-minded folks! But first we were lucky enough to hear Karen Tavakoli and Alonso Abugattas speak. Our table was set up to display our three areas of focus: Grow, Know and Protect . Joy Green brought her oak tree and taught visitors about the importance of oaks in our ecosystem. Young

Our final garden tour of the season found us at the home of Jeanne and Will Hartzell. It was a fantastic opportunity to visit a property that meets HOA approval in the front yard and fully embraces native plantings in the back. The Hartzells are 7 years into transforming their extraordinary site from farmland to a paradise for pollinators and birds. Berry-filled shrubs and trees were in abundance, as active birders the Hartzells know what is needed to feed our feathered fr