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We want you to be as excited about planting Chesapeake natives as we are. Blog posts highlight ways to garden with native plants, different styles of gardens and native alternatives for popular ornamental plants.


Gardening with Native Plants and Rabbits!
gardening with rabbits
Mar 183 min read


Native Plant Garden 10 Years In: Lessons Learned Growing Eleven Ground Covers
Finding just the right spot for each. Woodland Stonecrop in Spring In ten years with our garden, I have planted many a native ground...
Jan 31, 20245 min read


Maryland Native Plants: Golden Groundsel
A very versatile and vigorous plant! Golden groundsel (Packera aurea) is a very easy to grow, early blooming native perennial. Yellow...
Mar 30, 20233 min read


Native Plants: A Brief Fall Pause to Think Spring
For phlox! This past spring I noticed for the first time how long the various low growing, spring blooming phloxes were in flower. It...
Oct 5, 20223 min read


Native Plants: Woodland Stonecrop
Short, sturdy, super sedum! Woodland stone crop, also sometimes called three leaf stonecrop (Sedum ternatum), is oh so short....
Jul 20, 20222 min read


Native Plants: The 2022 Garden Bloggers Fling
Yes, there is such a thing! Madison, home to the Leopold legacy, was the place. Many credit Aldo Leopold with energizing the native plant...
Jul 13, 20223 min read


Maryland Native Garden: Waterside Woodland
Woodlands, walls and water. Ann doesn't have a point in time when she realized she should plant native plants; it was a sense that was...
Jun 1, 20222 min read


Chesapeake Native Gardens: Top Bloomers for May
April Showers? Check. May Flowers? Yes! After the profuse flowers of spring, and before the bounty of summer perennials arrive, our May...
May 11, 20224 min read


Fast Growing Native Perennials
A handful of speedy plants! Whether you are looking to fill a space where you have removed ivy or fill in parts of your garden more...
Feb 23, 20222 min read


Chesapeake Natives: Creating Your Winter Garden
Perfect time to take ten and get some winter zen. This may not be new to you but I had a gardening "aha" moment a few days ago, and right...
Jan 26, 20224 min read


Maryland and Virginia Native Plant Gardens: Shady Slopes
Swap the ivy and periwinkle for plants with sum and substance! Homes throughout our neighborhoods across the Chesapeake watershed have...
Jan 19, 20222 min read


DC, Maryland & Virginia Native Plants: Christmas Fern
A fern for all seasons! Ferns seem like they should be delicate plants, needing the moistest and fluffiest soils and a perfect refuge in...
Dec 22, 20212 min read


Maryland and Virginia Native Plants: Ten Easy Plants for Moist Areas
Plants that like to get their feet wet. I used to think soggy ground was a gardening liability but now I realize it's a treasure. There...
Apr 7, 20214 min read


Replacing Ivy & Vinca with Natives
On a warm winter day when your garden beckons, one of the best tasks you can undertake is removing any ivy (Hedera helix) or vinca (Vinca...
Feb 13, 20204 min read


Maryland Natives – In New York City!
Yes! New York City’s High Line is a stunning showplace for many of the very same natives that thrive in Chesapeake gardens. The High...
Nov 21, 20192 min read


Virginia Creeper, the perfect native for a Chesapeake Halloween
Virginia creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia) is an outstanding native vine — berries in summer, brilliant fall color and it could not...
Oct 31, 20192 min read


Four Fave Ferns for the Chesapeake
Figuring out ferns to fit your garden is fun. The photo above shows a new planting of Hay scented ferns at the Smithsonian gardens. This...
Aug 15, 20192 min read


Gorgeous Ginger Groundcovers: Plant This or That
Ginger is a great ground cover for full shade in Chesapeake gardens. Heart shaped leaves create a green carpet preserving soil moisture...
Jun 27, 20191 min read


Three Terrific Native Subs for Ivy
Removing invasive plants is an easy place to start if you are interested in gardening for the Chesapeake. English ivy (Hedera helix) is...
Jun 13, 20192 min read


4 Top Natives for a Chesapeake Shady Side Garden
Turning a narrow unused space into a soothing shady stroll Last week, a good friend in Baltimore who is quite the DIYer asked whether...
May 9, 20192 min read
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