Text and photos by Kasha Helget After a rough winter, we’re experiencing warmer days and the return of birds, bees, and butterflies that depend on native plants to survive and feed their young. Native plants also provide beauty to our pots, yards, and landscapes. Where to find them? Actually, the timing is excellent because thereContinueContinue reading “It’s FINALLY Spring! A Great Time to Shop for and Install Native Plants”
Tag Archives: native plants
Autumn 2025 Native Plant Sales: The Best Time of Year to Install New Natives!
Text and photos by Kasha Helget Think you have to wait till next spring to purchase native plants? Think again!! Below are locations where you can purchase the perfect plants to benefit local wildlife and spruce up your yard, too. Autumn is the best time to install new perennials, trees, and shrubs with warmer soilsContinueContinue reading “Autumn 2025 Native Plant Sales: The Best Time of Year to Install New Natives!”
It’s Spring! A Wonderful Time to Shop for and Install Native Plants
Text and photos by Kasha Helget Warming days and the return of birds, bees, and butterflies provide a perfect opportunity to install native plants on which they depend. They also provide beauty to our pots, yards, and landscapes. So, please consider adding a few—or several native plants to your garden, patio, deck or balcony. YouContinueContinue reading “It’s Spring! A Wonderful Time to Shop for and Install Native Plants”
Native Plant Sales Galore!
Planning Your Wildlife-Friendly Garden This piece is an excerpt from the September 2024 Capital Nature Newsletter about the transition from summer to fall. It highlights upcoming fall native plant sales and activities to support and protect wildlife in yards. Enjoy! Native plant sales abound in September and October. See our growing list of plant eventsContinueContinue reading “Native Plant Sales Galore!”
News from the Jerome “Buddie” Ford Native Plant Garden
Text and photos by Dan Huddleston It’s been a couple of years since we last reported on the native plant garden at the Buddie Ford Nature Center. Three years ago, we started revitalizing a native garden that had been strangled into submission by Porcelain berry and other invasive plants. After the invasive plant removal phase,ContinueContinue reading “News from the Jerome “Buddie” Ford Native Plant Garden”
The Mulberry Conundrum
by Devin Reese Eastern gray squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis) at Dyke Marsh feeding on white mulberries. Photo by Barbara Saffir. Mulberry Season Fruits from the white mulberry (Morus alba). Photo by Geo Lightspeed7, Wikimedia, CC-BY-SA-4.0. It’s that time of year when mulberries are fruiting all around Northern Virginia. Sidewalks are dotted with squashed, blackberry-like fruits; andContinueContinue reading “The Mulberry Conundrum”
Reestablishing Itea virginica at Little Hunting Creek
By Matt Bright Founded in 1997, the Earth Sangha operates a volunteer-based ecological restoration program for the greater Washington, DC, region. The program is designed to conserve and restore the native plant communities that are essential to the region’s ecological health. At the heart of the program is our Wild Plant Nursery, the region’s mostContinueContinue reading “Reestablishing Itea virginica at Little Hunting Creek”
Spring into Action: Admiring and Protecting Our Spring Ephemerals
By Ajani Simmons Unveiling the World of Spring Ephemerals Spring ephemerals—ever heard of them? Don’t worry if you haven’t; I was in the same boat until recently. Picture this: you’re on a nature walk in Ft. Bennett Park, guided by Mary McCutcheon, a local nature guru, ARMN master naturalist, and park steward with a knackContinueContinue reading “Spring into Action: Admiring and Protecting Our Spring Ephemerals”
Seasons of Care for Arlington Central Library Gardens
Text and photos by Devin Reese, unless otherwise noted. Arlington Central Library Native Plant Garden. Photo by Todd Minners. If you take a walk around the Arlington Central Library, you can’t miss the gardens. Even on a fall day when deciduous plants have let go their leaves and annuals have died, the mosaic of treesContinueContinue reading “Seasons of Care for Arlington Central Library Gardens”
Seeds of Hope: American Chestnut Replanting
by Catherine Howell As the late afternoon light began to fade and frigid air penetrated gloved hands, the last of the Arlington replanted American Chestnut trees (Castanea dentata) was patted into place on a slope in Glencarlyn Park on a gray day in mid-December, 2013. There, with some serious luck, it could grow into aContinueContinue reading “Seeds of Hope: American Chestnut Replanting”