Plant Ridge & Valley Natives

Our new regional native plant guide is now shipping.

ORDER NOW
C48DBBF0-F6D9-4938-AC70-24BA9EC33E64_1_105_c
VNPS Wildflower of the Year 2023: Hollow Joe-Pye-Weed
IMG_2960
3859D89F-985C-44E3-834D-12F7BE97FBA0_1_105_c
Native Plant Production: Collection, Storage,
and Propagation Workshop 12/16 from 12-2
More info
previous arrow
next arrow

News & Updates

• Don't miss our Plant & Seed Swap and Chapter Meeting on Sunday, October 22, 2023. View details, location, and more information.

• Orders for the new Plant Ridge & Valley Natives Guide are now shipping. Order your printed Guide now. 5-31-2023

• The new Plant Ridge & Valley Natives Guide is available for pre-order. Update May 11: We expect to ship the guide to pre-order customers by the end of May. 5-11-2023

• It’s official! On Monday September 12, 2022 the Shenandoah Chapter of the Virginia Native Plant Society was unanimously reinstated by the VNPS Board!

• In July 2022 we formed a Steering Committee to revive the Shenandoah Chapter (1987-2017). The committee includes Anna Maria Johnson (Coordinator), Elaine Smith (from the former chapter), Isaac Matlock, and Lora Steiner. View more details in our announcement of the Shenandoah Chapter Reboot. For more information, please contact Anna Maria Johnson at shenandoahchapter@gmail.com. You can also connect with us on our Facebook Page.

Join

Become a Member:
Support Our Mission.

Donate

Support VNPS with
your donation today.

Upcoming Events

Find Field Trips, Meetings, Programs and Plant Sales.

Find a Chapter

Get involved in your
local VNPS chapter.

Beautiful Bushy Bluestem
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…... Read more
September 17, 2023
Source: VNPS Blog
Pause for Pickerelweed
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…... Read more
August 12, 2023
Source: VNPS Blog
Stunning Sweetspire
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…... Read more
June 28, 2023
Source: VNPS Blog
Carolina Jessamine: Coastal Beauty
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…... Read more
May 9, 2023
Source: VNPS Blog
My Discovery of the Eastern Prickly Pear
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…... Read more
April 3, 2023
Source: VNPS Blog
Hepatica Heralds Spring
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…... Read more
February 25, 2023
Source: VNPS Blog
Save Richmond’s Last Pitcher Plant Swamp
  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…... Read more
February 19, 2023
Source: VNPS Blog
Wildflower of the Year 2023 Hollow Joe-Pye-Weed (Eutrochium fistulosum)
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 reveal the presence of hollow cavities in the central pith region. Leaves are whorled, 3-7 per node;…... Read more
February 1, 2023
Source: VNPS Blog