Front yard landscaping, reimagined
Originality has not been what springs to mind when looking at most front yards, but now people are starting to tweak the conventions by...
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Short articles to share
Help spread the word! Share these articles with friends through social media: Facebook / Nextdoor / Community bulletins and newsletters
As is true for almost all the material on our website (unless otherwise indicated), including the photos, you are welcome to copy and adapt these articles for your own use.No crediting is needed (although people will thank you for linking them to our resources.)
- May 3
Help save our native trees!
It isn’t easy being a Flowering Dogwood, White Oak, or other native tree in Northern Virginia. There are many threats to trees in an...
- Apr 7
Shopping for the birds
Warm weather has many of us headed to the garden center, where lovely blooms await. Did you know that those shopping trips can double as...
- Mar 24
Beauty is not in the eye of the beholder!
Recently our social media feeds have been full of beautiful photos of flowering plants that signal spring is on the way, much to the joy...
- Mar 12
Want birds and butterflies? Plant native shrubs!
When it comes to the curb appeal of our houses and other buildings, the difference between starkly naked and softly clothed is the...
- Feb 12
Five myths about trees
It’s no myth that trees hold a special place in our collective psyche. Trees play a prominent role in myths, often symbolizing life and...
- Jan 8
Save a Sapling: Pull Invasives
By Laura Handley One of the most satisfying moments of invasive plant management comes when you pull the last vine off a struggling...
- Dec 17, 2022
Solar panels vs. trees - how to choose?
Residents who are interested in installing solar panels often face a dilemma. Which is better for the environment, solar panels or shade...
- Nov 15, 2022
Managing larger properties for birds, butterflies, and people
The outdoor space on larger properties in Northern Virginia, whether residential or commercial, is typically divided into formal...
- Oct 25, 2022
Keeping our wooded areas beautiful
If your community owns some wooded common land, or if you yourself own a wooded property, you may have noticed that the woods around here...
- Sep 23, 2022
Plant NOVA Trees – One Year On
September marks the first anniversary of the launch of Plant NOVA Trees, a regionwide effort by over a hundred local organizations and...
- Aug 26, 2022
Welcoming visitors with native plant landscaping
The big signs that welcome visitors to neighborhoods are usually framed by conventional ornamental shrubs, grasses, and annual flowers....
- Jul 28, 2022
Be nice to your trees
On a recent day, driving out of the sun into a wooded community resulted in a temperature drop from 91 to 86 degrees. We all try to stay...
- Jun 17, 2022
Free trees for communities
As community associations around Northern Virginia ramp up their native tree planting efforts, they are looking around to find ways to...
- May 10, 2022
Native groundcovers and trees: the perfect pairing!
Native groundcovers are becoming increasingly popular, for good reason: even if they have minimal time for gardening, people want to use...
- Apr 11, 2022
Do you have room for a shade tree?
If your yard sits in the blazing sun in the summer, it may have already occurred to you that a native shade tree would benefit you...
- Mar 3, 2022
Millions of Trees at Risk in Northern Virginia? Introducing Tree Rescuers!
Northern Virginia’s oldest and best-loved trees are in danger, and the threat is in plain sight – and yet there are few who can see it....
- Feb 8, 2022
Easy plant combinations for your yard
Are you ready to brighten up your yard but not to spend hours researching plant choices? You may be a candidate for a native plant...
- Jan 8, 2022
Landscaping with nature
In the winter, as you drive across the American Legion Bridge or across many of our creeks, you may be startled to see large numbers of...
- Dec 9, 2021
Party time on the disc golf course
We don’t usually associate the native plant movement or a tree campaign with sports, but players at the Giles Run Disc Golf Course see it...
- Nov 15, 2021
Alexandria neighbors bring trees to their community
Trees plant themselves and replace themselves – except in our lawns. Many Northern Virginia neighborhoods that are graced by magnificent...
- Oct 14, 2021
Celebrate Fall Color!
As Northern Virginia continues to celebrate trees to mark the start of the five year regional native tree campaign, autumn colors move to...
- Sep 10, 2021
Arlington National Cemetery Treasures its Trees
Arlington National Cemetery is a place to honor, remember, and explore. The beauty of the grounds and the comfort of its visitors is...
- Aug 13, 2021
Fewer inputs to your landscape, more butterflies and birds
As more and more people buy native plants to beautify their yards, control stormwater and attract birds and butterflies, they are...
- Jul 2, 2021
Mini Grants to Beautify Neighborhood Entrances with Native Plants
This spring, Audubon at Home partnered with Plant NOVA Natives to invite homeowners’ and civic associations to apply for funds to...
- Jun 21, 2021
Planting for the Picky Eaters
Many insects are picky eaters, only able to eat the plants with which they evolved, meaning the plants that are native to their region....
- May 15, 2021
Native plant sales are booming
Interest in using native plants in our yards has been growing over the past decade, gradually at first, and suddenly exponentially. It...
- Apr 12, 2021
Beat the summer heat with a native plant shade garden
They say shade gardens are the gardens of the future, since it will be too hot to spend much time in the sun. That’s pretty much the case...
- Feb 17, 2021
February 2021 Update
At the bottom of this page, please see the short article on native grasses, and share it as widely as possible. 2021 Spring and Fall...
- Feb 10, 2021
Native grasses for our yards
When we think of grass in our yards, the image that arises is likely to be that of turf grass. But there are many other places for...
- Jan 9, 2021
Spruce up your foundation plantings
When developers build a neighborhood, they almost always add some shrubs against the foundations of the houses to soften the lines of the...
- Dec 2, 2020
Bringing Dragonflies to Your Yard
For anyone who enjoys watching birds at a feeder, there is another pastime available that is just as entertaining but less well known:...
- Nov 18, 2020
Befriending the butterflies all winter
Where do butterflies go in the winter? If you are picturing the adults hibernating like bears, that’s actually not that far from the...
- Sep 23, 2020
A new take on “curb appeal”
A strip of lawn is the default landscaping choice for the area right next to a street. But is that the only option? Not necessarily, as...
- Aug 29, 2020
Making friends with the hummingbirds
Fall is a great time to work on the guest list for next year’s garden party. Hummingbirds make some of the best guests of all, or to put...
- Jul 30, 2020
Making scents of your yard
Fragrant flowers can add a whole extra dimension to gardening, and the flowers of native plants are no exception. The scents are there...
- Jul 1, 2020
Native plant landscaping: Three factors for success
For anyone who wants to help the birds and butterflies but is not an experienced landscaper, a few design concepts can help make the...
- May 25, 2020
Lawn Care for Earth Renewal
Let’s say you want to have a nice lawn, but you also want to be a good steward of the environment. Can you do both? It turns out the...
- Apr 24, 2020
Stay-at-Homeschooling for Grown-Ups
We have all heard of naturalists such as Charles Darwin and James Audubon who undertook long and fruitful journeys of discovery. But did...
- Mar 30, 2020
Vegetable Gardening for Earth Renewal
Now is the time to renew the Earth – and yourself, while you are at it! Most of us are aware of the benefits to ourselves of eating...
- Feb 24, 2020
Gardening for Earth Renewal
How does your garden renew the earth? Vegetable gardens, flower gardens, conventional landscaping and even container gardens can all...
- Jan 14, 2020
Inside Out Gardens
Before we turn our thoughts to spring, let us take this opportunity to plan for next year’s long stretch of cold and gray. Does your...
- Dec 16, 2019
Native Plants in Public Places
Shopping center parking lots and other public spaces can be tree-lined havens from the summer heat, with beautiful blossoms to induce...
- Dec 7, 2019
Native plants in public spaces
Shopping center parking lots and other public spaces can be tree-lined havens from the summer heat, with beautiful blossoms to induce...
- Nov 14, 2019
Using native plants to deal with drought (and deluges)
Using native plants to deal with drought (and deluges) Neither droughts nor deluges are new to Northern Virginia, but as everyone has...
- Sep 12, 2019
Community Associations Supporting the Local Ecosystem
Homeowner and condominium associations make many of the decisions that will determine the future of the birds and butterflies of Northern...
- Aug 14, 2019
Landscape professionals supporting our local wildlife
On August 7, over a hundred people attended Plant NOVA Natives’ first conference on native plants for professionals, including...
- Jul 6, 2019
Faith in Action
A commitment to stewardship of the Earth has a spiritual foundation in most faith communities. In recent years, many have come to...
- Jun 4, 2019
Summer is for visiting native plant gardens
Are you feeling inspired by the plants in the Native Plants for Northern Virginia guide but want to see them in a garden setting before...
- Apr 22, 2019
Native groundcovers
Are you seeking a groundcover that is both beautiful and friendly to the ecosystem? Try looking beyond the old standbys to the new trend...
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