Submit this month’s newsletter article wherever you can!
Please see the short article at the end of this update and think about groups who might not yet know about native plants.
Give the gift of outreach
All these items are available at no profit to us – the prices are as low as possible to make it easy for you to spread the word.
Tshirts, greeting cards, and much
more.
Can be customized.
Full color guide. 48 pages.
Slogan contest
Memorable slogans and jingles that stick in the mind – those are what could make the native plant movement go big time.
For examples of the value of a “sticky” slogan or tune, complete these sentences:
“Only you can prevent…”
“Please, please, don’t be a…”
“Winston tastes good…”
Get the point? Submit your ideas to plantnovanatives@gmail.com. What words can we use to give people a sense of ownership of the home habitat concept?
Garden center outreach volunteers needed
Can you help expand our outreach to every garden center in Northern Virginia? The approach is quite simple. All you have to do is meet with the owners in January or February and go down a checklist of the various ways we can help them sell the native plants that they already stock.
Last chance for Guide update suggestions
We hope to update Native Plants for Northern Virginia in time for a late-winter printing. Let us know of any improvements we could make using the same general formatting.
Upcoming screening of Hometown Habitat (Could you plan a screening of your own?)
2/19/2017 2 pm
Herndon Environmental Network
Herndon Community Center. 814 Ferndale Ave, Herndon
Webmaster needed
Would you like to help the cause from the comfort of your home? Our website is a crucial campaign tool that is in need of a loving hand to keep it updated.
Big January 24 Steering Committee meeting
We invite leadership of every organization with an interest in environmental activism and public outreach to our January 24 Steering Committee meeting to help plan our future strategy.
T
his month’s newsletter article –
Please reprint this article on social media and in any newsletter you can – work, faith community, HOA, club, etc. Or link to it on our blog. Then let us know so we can estimate our reach.
Do native plants sound foreign?
Do you want to help the local wildlife but are afraid that would mean planting a hippy garden full of strange-looking plants? Have no fear! You can create habitat using familiar plants in traditional landscaping settings.
· Ornamental trees
What could be more traditional than Virginia’s state tree? The flowering dogwood (Cornus floridus) has berries that feed the birds.
· Shade trees
Planting a shade tree provides an enormous amount of habitat for butterflies and birds in one easy step. The white oak (Quercus alba) is the hands-down winner in providing food for the caterpillars that songbirds need to feed their babies.
· Shrubs
Covered with clusters of white and pink flowers in May, mountain laurel (Kalmia latifolia) will satisfy your need for old-fashioned foundation plantings.
· Perennials
Anyone who has gardened – and anyone who has not – looks forward to the profusion of yellow flowers in late summer provided by Black-eyed Susan (Rudbecki fulgida). Add garden phlox (Phlox paniculata) for that English cottage garden look.
· Ground cover
A carpet of blue in the spring gives way to a carpet of green the rest of the year with creeping phlox (Phlox subulata).
All these gorgeous Northern Virginia native plants attract wildlife and add sound and lively movement to the beauty of your yard.