News & Updates
- 2026 Wildflower of the Year - Ghost Pipes/Monotropa uniflora, an unusual woodland plant best admired in its native habitat. Read all about it here. The Design Contest has been completed, and t-shirts are available for purchase with the winning design. Order yours here.
- Annual Native Plant Sale - thank you to all volunteers and members who helped make the sale such a success!
- Nature Camp Scholarships - three students have been selected; find more info about them here
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By Betsy Washington, Northern Neck Native Plant Society I am always dazzled by the vibrant, long-lasting blooms of Fall or Garden Phlox as they emerge in July attracting dozens of butterflies, skippers, clearwing moths, hummingbirds and other pollinators to their showy blooms. The large, fragrant pink to red-purple, lavender or rarely white flower clusters (actually…Read more
By Betsy Washington, Northern Neck Native Plant Society Milkweeds are wildly popular in many gardens but most of us grow only two or three species, including Butterflyweed and Swamp Milkweed and possibly Common Milkweed. There are thirteen species of milkweed in Virginia and one of my favorites blooms in late May and June, Redring or…Read more
By Betsy Washington, Northern Neck Native Plant Society The cheerful flowers of our native Common Blue Violet are one of the most anticipated signs of spring, bringing joy to both gardeners and pollinators alike. Blooming from March to June, with occasional rebloom in fall, our Common Blue Violet reaches only 3 – 8” tall with…Read more
By Betsy Washington, Northern Neck Native Plant Society Plantain-leaved Pussytoes is one of our most charming perennial groundcovers and begins blooming this month with fuzzy white, tufted flower heads that resemble the toes or paws of kittens. Other names for this appealing groundcover are Pussytoes, Everlasting, Mouse Ears, Ladies’ Tobacco, and even Dog Toes. Who…Read more
By Betsy Washington Northern Neck Chapter, Virginia Native Plant Society As signs of spring fill the air, I find myself eagerly anticipating the vibrant magenta pink blooms of one of our most beautiful flowering trees, the Eastern Redbud, Cercis canadensis. This small tree is a common sight along roadsides, woodland edges, and old fields…Read more
By Betsy Washington Northern Neck Chapter, Virginia Native Plant Society As signs of spring fill the air, I find myself eagerly anticipating the vibrant magenta pink blooms of one of our most beautiful flowering trees, the Eastern Redbud, Cercis canadensis. This small tree is a common sight along roadsides, woodland edges, and old fields…Read more
By Betsy Washington, Northern Neck Chapter The Common Hackberry is one of our most adaptable native shade trees and is also among the best trees to plant for wildlife. The trunk of hackberries has smooth…Read more
By Betsy Washington Northern Neck Chapter, VNPS American Beeches are one of our most magnificent native trees, beautiful in every season, especially winter. They are also one of the most easily recognized of our eastern deciduous trees, with their silvery gray bark that appears cast…Read more