News & Updates
- Join us for a member slideshow and holiday gathering on Dec 12. For more information, click here.
- View the new Fall, 2023 edition of the New River News. Lots of information about upcoming programs, meetings, and other events! 9-12-2023
- A Guide to Gardening with Southwest Virginia Native Plants is now live and ready to support your planting efforts. Download here. Free hard copies will be available at New River Chapter VNPS meetings. The Guide is also available for free throughout SWVA at many libraries, state parks and more. Click here for list. If you live outside of SWVA or it's inconvenient for you to pick up, you can purchase online from VNPS to have it shipped directly to you for $9.
- Plant SWVA Natives has a new email address. Reach out or subscribe at their webpage.
- We meet the second Tuesday of the month at 7:00 pm. Meetings this fall are at the Montgomery Human Services Building in Christiansburg. See Upcoming Events for more info about fall programs.
- Pages with info about native plant nurseries in the NRV area and their sales and resources for pollinator gardens are available. Go to Resources on the main menu.
- Tree tubes to protect trees and shrubs from deer are still available. To order or get more info about planting, go to the Order page.
- Plant Invaders of Mid-Atlantic Natural Areas book is available at our meetings and online. Go to the Donate page to order online.
- Chapter meetings since 2020 can be viewed on our YouTube Channel. Samples include How to support nature while preparing your garden for winter (September 2020), the Flora of Virginia Mobile App overview (January 2021), and Biology and management of invasive aquatic plants in the New River basin (November 2022).
10-19-2020

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By Betsy Washington, Northern Neck Chapter Fall is the time that our warm season grasses shine in the garden by adding movement, color, and drama to the landscape. Andropogon glomeratus, or Bushy Bluestem, also called Bushy Bluebeard, is a compact, beautiful native grass often reaching only 2 – 4’ high, with attractive foliage and distinctive…...
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September 17, 2023
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VNPS Blog
By Betsy Washington, Northern Neck Chapter Pickerelweed (Pontederia cordata) is a standout in any garden pond, or freshwater coastal stream or river when its showy lavender-blue flowers are held above the foliage on tall stems. This perennial grows in shallow water where it tolerates up to 2’ of occasional flooding but prefers less than one…...
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August 12, 2023
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VNPS Blog
By Betsy Washington, Northern Neck Chapter Virginia Sweetspire, Itea virginica, is a stunning deciduous to semi-evergreen shrub and the perfect choice for our May Plant of the Month as the long racemes of white flowers are just beginning to open on this first day of May. Typically growing from 3 – 5’ high and 4…...
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June 28, 2023
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VNPS Blog
By Betsy Washington, Northern Neck Native Plant Society Chapter Carolina or Yellow Jessamine, Gelsemium sempervirens, is a stunning evergreen vine native to the southern United States and Mexico south to Guatemala. In Virginia, Carolina Jessamine is a coastal beauty, common along the southern and central Coastal Plain north to the counties of Lancaster and the…...
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May 9, 2023
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VNPS Blog
By Emily Byers, Jefferson Chapter I enjoy the surprise of blooms in my garden each year and always add new native species. Last Fall, I received two eastern prickly pears, Opuntia humifusa, from a fellow gardener. I planted both cacti in a “problem” area of my garden. The area is shaded, gritty stays dry, and reminds…...
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April 3, 2023
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VNPS Blog
By Betsy Washington, Northern Neck Native Plant Society Chapter One of the earliest signs of spring is the bloom of the Round-lobed Hepatica or Liverleaf, Hepatica americana. The lovely small flowers of this woodland wildflower look fragile but this hardy perennial blooms in the face of winter often as early as February. An array of…...
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February 25, 2023
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VNPS Blog
Attention, VNPS Members! We have a rare opportunity to comment about a solar facility application (Case # PUR-2022-00179) that is proposed in Chesterfield County (south of Richmond) at a Natural Heritage “Irreplaceable” Site, which has numerous populations of rare plants and an expanse of intact native forests and woodlands that will be harmed if…...
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February 19, 2023
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VNPS Blog
VNPS offers Joe-Pye-Weed artwork on T-Shirts, Tote Bags, and Coffee Mugs. Visit our Online Store to order. Hollow Joe-pye-weed is a perennial herb that may grow as tall as 35 dm (about 11.5 feet). Stems are frequently purple and, when young, are covered with a thin, glaucous, layer of wax. Cross sections of stems will…...
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February 1, 2023
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VNPS Blog