Events

Join us for a talk from Jennifer Klug Vaccaro focused on how to remove invasive species and why this helps create healthy ecosystems.

In-person: RSVP here

Virtual participation: free registration link open now

Native plants can grow in containers too! Learn about the unique properties of containers, how to incorporate them into your garden, choosing and arranging specie that will thrive, and how to care for your containers. 

Presented at the Queen Anne's County Master Gardener of University of Maryland Extension meeting public program. Free and open to the public.

Join us as Concetta Gibson, President of Wild Ones Delmarva, discusses the ins and outs of container gardening with native plants. Concetta will guide us through selecting the right containers for the right plants, as well as layout, arrangement, and maintenance.

If you need a reasonable accommodation to participate in this activity, please contact your local University of Maryland Extension Office, Rachel Rhodes (410) 758-0166 or [email protected] by January 1, 2026.

University programs, activities, and facilities are available to all without regard to race, color, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, marital status, age, national origin, political affiliation, physical or mental disability, religion, protected veteran status, genetic information, personal appearance, or any other legally protected class.

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.

Start reconnecting with nature as spring quickly approaches through a pair of hands-on virtual workshops. We recommend you attend both sessions but if possible although not strictly required. 

Registration link allows you to attend both sessions - be sure to save your confirmation email.

Session 1, Thursday, February 12: Nature Journaling
Join Wild Ones Delmarva Vice President and Master Naturalist Dona Sorce to reflect on your personal connections to nature with a discussion and guided nature journaling session.
Bring your own materials: writing and/or art utensils and something to use them on (lined paper, art paper, etc)

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Session 2, Thursday, February 19: Small Actions for Connection
Build off of Session 1 with Wild Ones Delmarva President and certified permaculture practitioner Concetta Gibson to learn small actions that you can take to feel present and connected with the nature around you through collecting, preserving and using native or culinary herbs.
Bring your own materials: a few fresh and dried plant leaves collected or purchased ethically (details in Session 1) 

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.!  

Start reconnecting with nature as spring quickly approaches through a pair of hands-on virtual workshops. We recommend you attend both sessions but if possible although not strictly required. 

Registration link allows you to attend both sessions - be sure to save your confirmation email.

Session 2, Thursday, February 19: Small Actions for Connection
Build off of Session 1 with Wild Ones Delmarva President and certified permaculture practitioner Concetta Gibson to learn small actions that you can take to feel present and connected with the nature around you through collecting, preserving and using native or culinary herbs.
Bring your own materials: a few fresh and dried plant leaves collected or purchased ethically (details in Session 1) 

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Session 1, Thursday, February 12: Nature Journaling
Join Wild Ones Delmarva Vice President and Master Naturalist Dona Sorce to reflect on your personal connections to nature with a discussion and guided nature journaling session.
Bring your own materials: writing and/or art utensils and something to use them on (lined paper, art paper, etc)

Co-hosted by Adkins Arboretum. In-person presentation with virtual participation option.

60-minute presentation will be followed by a trail walk for in-person participants only to see the Beaver Deceiver device at Adkins Arboretum. 

In-person RSVP here

Virtual registration required here

Beavers, once nearly eliminated from the Chesapeake Bay watershed, are returning and becoming central to Maryland's modern, ecology-driven stream restoration efforts. Their natural dam-building slows water, traps sediment, filters nutrients, and creates wetlands that support diverse wildlife - making them a keystone species.  

We will discuss how beavers and homeowners can work together to restore habitat on private land, including making their land friendly to beavers so that the restoration happens in tandem, instead of thinking of beavers as a nuisance or just paying contractors to do the beavers' jobs.

The talk will cover:

Intro Beaver Coexistence 

Beaver 101 – an ecological engineer 

Problems with the Chesapeake Bay and our regional watersheds 

Understanding the rodent that shaped America’s landscapes 

The role that the beaver played in maintaining water quality and habitat 

Post-Colonial alteration of Maryland’s hydrologic systems 

Promoting restoration techniques that emulate beaver ecology 

How you can help

About our speaker, Claudia Donegan:

Claudia Donegan has worked over 36 years throughout the Chesapeake Bay watershed as educator, stream scientist, public policy coordinator and implementing ecological restoration projects in tidal and nontidal environments. Presently she serves as the Director of the Center for Habitat Restoration and Conservation in Maryland’s Department of Natural Resources Chesapeake and Coastal Service, spearheading and implementing ecosystem restoration projects throughout the state. Claudia lives in Tunis Mills, MD.

Co-hosted by Wild Ones New York Metro Region and Wild Ones Delmarva

Zoom link to join

We are pleased to offer a webinar to be presented by garden coach and consultant Concetta Gibson, President of the Wild Ones Delmarva Chapter, to discuss choosing and using beneficial native plants that look attractive at your home and neighborhood. Topics will include what to consider with regard to soil types and local environment when designing plant bed layouts, the advantages of native species and nativars, and container and small space gardening options. There will be a question-and-answer period at the end of her presentation, so you are encouraged to prepare your questions whether general and/or specific regarding the conditions of your garden space for Ms. Gibson to answer.

Bio:

Concetta Gibson is the founder and owner of Leaf & Bed, an Eastern Shore small business on the Delmarva Peninsula, that provides garden design, coaching, consulting, and native plant sourcing. She brings her experience as a former earth and environmental science teacher and nonprofit professional to support gardeners in Maryland and beyond, with special focus areas in ecology, planting in containers, and accessible and adaptable gardening. Concetta holds certifications as a Chesapeake Bay Landscape Professional (CBLP) and in Permaculture Design, certified by the Permaculture Institute of North America, she teaches garden courses part-time at Chesapeake College, and is a co-founder and President of the Delmarva Chapter of Wild Ones, a national nonprofit focused on promoting native plants and sustainable gardening.

Agenda/table of contents:

Why use native plants and setting yourself up for success

Environmental conditions: Right plant, right place, right fit

Horizontal, vertical spaces, and containers

Personal style

Researching, choosing, and sourcing responsibly

Basic layout creation: paper and digital option

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.

Co-hosted by Wild Ones Delmarva Chapter, Inland Bays Garden Center, and Story Hill Farm

Please join us at Inland Bays Garden Center for a special presentation by Helen Raleigh of Story Hill Farm where she will talk about rewilding meadows and pollinator habitat restoration projects at the farm. RSVP here

You will also have the chance to meet local representatives from:

Inland Bays Garden Center
A local garden center specializing in native plants and helping gardeners by providing expert advice to transform their landscapes into thriving native habitats.

Wild Ones Delmarva
A chapter of Wild Ones, a national organization promoting native landscapes through education, advocacy, and collaborative action.

10:00 AM – Welcome and Introductions
10:30 AM – Presentation by Helen Raleigh, Story Hill Farm
11:30 AM – Self‑Guided Tour of Inland Bay Garden Center
12:00 PM – Lunch at Ocean View Brewery (pay your own way)

Afterwards, plan a visit to Story Hill Farm & Store and Delaware Botanic Gardens.

About Helen E. Raleigh, Story Hill Farm/Henlopen Sea Salt:

Delaware native Helen Raleigh approaches Story Hill Farm with the understanding that land reflects our choices back to us. Her "Cows Save Butterflies" initiative demonstrates that small changes to land management can yield results. Changing what and how we plant and inviting grazing animals back into partnership with the land opens niches not simply for preserving endangered species, but for bringing them into actionable economically viable use. From backyard meadows to acres of wildflowers, she's shown how simply changing what and how we plant creates cascading benefits for pollinators, livestock, and watersheds—as evidenced by her work with endangered American Heritage Randall Cattle and Delaware's native pollinators. As an artisan salt maker, with Henlopen Sea Salt she seeks to deepen understanding of water's relationship with the land through "Water Remembers"—exploring ocean health and land stewardship. For her it's clear: everything the land does, water remembers. She serves on Bays to Backyards and Southern Delaware Agricultural committees and is a member of the Delaware Farm Bureau, Heritage Breed Conservation and Xerces Society. A sought-after speaker who makes environmental stewardship irresistible and sends audiences home ready to roll up their sleeves.

Ephemeral plants bloom early and for a short period time before the canopies above them begin to grow again. Come see some of our lovely native plants in season showcased in shade and swale plantings.

Address will be provided after your RSVP is approved.

Inclement weather date: Sunday, April 26

Click here to request RSVP

Visit a new construction home that focuses on native landscaping. Hear about some of the unique issues that arose along the way and what has been involved with undertaking this project.

Bring your own chair and cup for refreshments.

Details coming soon! 

Virtual registration link coming soon. If you need accommodations to participate or prefer to attend in person, please reach out so that we can coordinate best options.

Annual meeting and elections of chapter board directors and officers. We will also discuss this year's progress, financial report, and ideas for next year. See the Bylaws of Wild Ones Delmarva Chapter for the processes and policies for the annual meeting discussions, elections, and nominations, starting with Section 7.

If you have ideas you would like us to consider for next year, or if you are interested in becoming a chapter leader or officer, please reach out to us by email [email protected], 410-656-9713‬, or at a chapter program or activity. 

Chapter leader positions include: 

Board Directors (by election, see the Bylaws Section 8): focused on oversight and health of the chapter's management, finances, officers, and committees - including governance, long-term and short-term planning, partnerships, budget, fundraising, grants, and more.

Officers (by election, see the Bylaws Section 9): President, Vice President, Treasurer, Secretary, Membership Chair

Other committee chairs and initiatives (anytime by appointment/approval, see the Bylaws Setion 10): Programs, social media, website, fundraising, advocacy and legislation, plant and seed swaps/sales, volunteers, newsletter, photography, community science, and more. Let us know if you have other ideas!

Details coming soon! 

Details coming soon! 

Join Chapter President Concetta Gibson to discuss choosing and using beneficial native plants that look attractive at your home and neighborhood. Topics will include what to consider when designing plant bed layouts, methods for designing, and container and small space gardening.