Events

We will continue to meet via Zoom for our chat meetings.  

These are informal and mostly unstructured meetings where anyone can ask questions related to native plants and related topics. Have a question about using native plants in your yard? Have some comments or pictures you want to share? This is the place to be.  Everyone is welcome.

The Zoom Link will open at 6:45 PM.

The Wild Readers Book Club is back at it, this time to read and discuss Margaret Renkl's new book, The Comfort of Crows.  We will meet via Zoom and cover the first third of the book on pages 1 through 86.

The meeting is open to everyone, but registration is required.

Zoom links will be sent to registrants the week of the meeting.

Our next chapter meeting will be a pot-luck social event on Monday, January 22, at 7 PM CST, in the Ed Jones Auditorium at the Ellington Ag Center in Nashville.  Please be aware that some GPS systems place the street address in the wrong place, so actual GPS coordinates can be used if needed: (36.06396, -86.74473). The signage at the Ag Center campus can also be used to locate the auditorium.  Since there will be no presentation at this meeting, there won't be a simultaneous Zoom stream.

This chapter meeting is open to everyone. If you are able to bring a dish, please let us know using the signup button below. The chapter will supply additional items based on feedback from the signup.

There will be door prizes at the meeting as well as a "Swap Table." If you have any items you would like to give away (native plants, native seeds, books, etc.) please bring them.

Everyone is welcome!

Location: Ed Jones Auditorium, 416 Hogan Road, Ellington Agricultural Center, Nashville, TN.  GPS (36.06396, -86.74473).

Doors open at 6:30 PM, meeting begins at 7:00.

Zoom Link

January board meeting.  Zoom Link

Explore how native gardening can address climate challenges in our next Wild Ones national webinar, “Cultivating Change” with author and activist Lorraine Johnson. Johnson has been researching and writing about environmental issues for three decades. Learn about the pivotal role of gardening as an act of stewardship in the face of climate and ecological challenges. Discover the profound connections between individual gardens and the broader world and learn how these green spaces can serve as catalysts for positive ecological and social change.  Join Wild Ones for a practical and insightful discussion on gardening's positive impact on the environment and our future. 

Virtual registrants will receive a link to watch the talk live as well as a link to the recording. The recording will only be available for a limited time. 

We will continue to meet via Zoom for our chat meetings.  

These are informal and mostly unstructured meetings where anyone can ask questions related to native plants and related topics. Have a question about using native plants in your yard? Have some comments or pictures you want to share? This is the place to be.  Everyone is welcome.

The Zoom Link will open at 6:45 PM.

The Wild Readers Book Club will have it's second meeting on Margaret Renkl's new book, The Comfort of Crows.  We will meet via Zoom and cover the middle third of the book on pages 87 through 175.

The meeting is open to everyone, but registration is required.

Zoom links will be sent to registrants the week of the meeting.

The founders of the Neighbors for Native Plants organization, Bieke Puncochar and Bethany Crandell, will give a presentation about the quick success of their 2-year-old organization.  They accept orders for native plant plugs and potted plants and have pick-up days twice per year.  Visit the N4NP website for additional information about the organization.

This meeting will be a hybrid in-person/Zoom event.

Everyone is welcome!

Location: Ed Jones Auditorium, 416 Hogan Road, Ellington Agricultural Center, Nashville, TN

Doors open at 6:30 PM, meeting begins at 7:00.

Zoom Link

The Wild Ones Middle Tennessee chapter will hold its board meeting.

Zoom Link

We will continue to meet via Zoom for our chat meetings.  

These are informal and mostly unstructured meetings where anyone can ask questions related to native plants and related topics. Have a question about using native plants in your yard? Have some comments or pictures you want to share? This is the place to be.  Everyone is welcome.

The Zoom Link will open at 6:45 PM.

The Belle Forest Cave & Arboretum is a 4-acre piece of land that was purchased by the TennGreen Land Conservancy in 2015. The arboretum was certified in 2018 by the Tennessee Urban Forestry Council with 38 native tree species. Because there are only three parking spaces at the property, we will need to meet at a nearby shopping center and carpool to the site.

Please note that this event is tentative pending approval by the TennGreen Land Conservancy.

Additional details and a sign-up link available soon.

Ivan Chester is the owner of Habitat Landscapes -- a company that has been designing and installing native landscapes for six years.  He will give a presentation on

"No Mow Lawns: Transform your lawn into a thriving habitat"

Ivan will discuss the advantages of converting lawn to wild habitat. His presentation will also cover site preparation; lists of native plants that do well in sun, shade, and low-growing plants that can support light foot traffic; Nashville Metro government's Intentional Design application that can help prevent code citations for those in Davidson County; matrix planting; and, maintenance of it all.

Everyone is welcome!

Location: Ed Jones Auditorium, 416 Hogan Road, Ellington Agricultural Center, Nashville, TN

Doors open at 6:30 PM CDT, meeting begins at 7:00. Everyone is welcome!

Zoom Link

Registration for this event is now closed, and registrants have been emailed about attending. Please contact [email protected] if you have any issues getting in.

This will be a paid event for both in-person and remote viewing. Virtual registrants will receive a link to watch Dr. Kimmerer's talk live as well as a link to the recording. The recording will only be available for a limited time. 

Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants
Ecological restoration can be understood as an act of reciprocity, in return for the gifts of the earth. This talk explores the ecological and ethical imperatives of healing the damage we have inflicted on our land and waters. We trace the evolution of restoration philosophy and practice and consider how integration of indigenous knowledge can expand our understanding of restoration from the biophysical to the biocultural. Reciprocal restoration includes not only healing the land but our relationship to land. In healing the land, we are healing ourselves.

Wild Ones is excited to cohost this event with the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh's Earth Week 2024 and the Wild Ones Fox Valley Chapter. 

The Wild Readers Book Club will have it's third meeting on Margaret Renkl's new book, The Comfort of Crows.  We will meet via Zoom and cover the last third of the book on pages 177 through the end.

The meeting is open to everyone, but registration is required.

Zoom links will be sent to registrants the week of the meeting.

We will meet for a wildflower hike at Owl's Hill Nature Sanctuary on Saturday, April 6, from 12:30 - 3:00 PM CDT.  This will be a moderate 2-mile hike that will involve a total ascent of about 300 feet. This is a members-only event and registration is required.

We will continue to meet via Zoom for our chat meetings.  

These are informal and mostly unstructured meetings where anyone can ask questions related to native plants and related topics. Have a question about using native plants in your yard? Have some comments or pictures you want to share? This is the place to be.  Everyone is welcome.

The Zoom Link will open at 6:45 PM.

Joy Boven, owner of Simple Joy Nursery and co-owner of Wonder Gift and Garden in Kingston Springs, will give a presentation on 

"Host Plants: How these unique relationships will change the way you garden''

This meeting will be a hybrid in-person/Zoom event.

Everyone is welcome!

Location: Ed Jones Auditorium, 416 Hogan Road, Ellington Agricultural Center, Nashville, TN

Doors open at 6:30 PM, meeting begins at 7:00.

Zoom Link

Kristin Bailey Wilson has opened up her Macon County farm for a picnic and wildflower hike.  Attendees should bring their own drinks and are welcome to bring a shareable lunch item or just bring their own lunch.  The chapter will provide pinwheel sandwiches (or similar) for everyone. 

The farm address will be sent to attendees after registration, which is required.

We will have a booth at the Nashville Earth Day Festival.  This was a big event for us last year, so we want to be prepared with several volunteers to staff the booth.  We will have two shifts, one from 10:30 - 2:00, the other from 2:00 - 5:30.  Follow the registration link to signup.

Our next native will open for online shopping on Tuesday, May 7, at Noon and continue through Tuesday, May 14, at Noon. Plant pickup for online shopping will be on Friday, May 17, at Owl's Hill Nature Sanctuary from 8 AM until 2 PM. The in-person sale will be Saturday, May 18, 10 AM - 12:30 PM, also at Owl's Hill.  

The Read More link below will always contain the latest information - most recent plant list, additional details - as it becomes available.

Shareable Flyer

Online shopping website

TennGreen Land Conservancy (formerly the Tennessee Parks & Greenways Foundation) is the oldest accredited statewide land conservancy in Tennessee. Since 1998, TennGreen has led the charge to protect the ecologically rich, beautiful, and historically-significant treasures that make Tennessee unique. Alice Hudson Pell, Executive Director, will talk about the work of the organization and how it fulfills its mission: to conserve land where people and nature can thrive.

This meeting will be a hybrid in-person/Zoom event.

Everyone is welcome!

Location: Ed Jones Auditorium, 416 Hogan Road, Ellington Agricultural Center, Nashville, TN

Doors open at 6:30 PM, meeting begins at 7:00.

Zoom Link

Everyone is invited to help maintain the native gardens at Westmeade Elementary School.

We will be touring member Carole Bartoo's property that has been home to a backyard native garden since COVID hit and she read Doug Tallamy’s  Nature‘s Best Hope. Carole and her spouse met native plant enthusiast and landscaper Ivan Chester (Habitat Landscapes) who installed a flagstone path, giving them the hardscape to define areas where they could plant native Tennessee species. They have so enjoyed watching their small backyard grow with many insect, bird, and animal visitors, they decided to install a small front garden, eliminating even more lawn. Most recently they replaced many of their non-native species in the front yard with natives providing about 90% native plantings on their property.

The Stonemeade butterfly garden is an HOA-approved and neighborhood-supported native pollinator garden in an area near the neighborhood pool.  It was installed this spring and is already looking lovely with the help of the Cumberland River Compact, which donated many plants, and neighbors who put in the work and money to buy additional native plants yeilding over a dozen species of natives for the garden’s first year. Regular postings on the neighborhood FaceBook site draw especially young kids to come explore the idea of “habitat” as the garden grows.

We will continue to meet via Zoom for our chat meetings.  

These are informal and mostly unstructured meetings where anyone can ask questions related to native plants and related topics. Have a question about using native plants in your yard? Have some comments or pictures you want to share? This is the place to be.  Everyone is welcome.

The Zoom Link will open at 6:45 PM.

Biodiversity is on display in Paul’s backyard, with over 100 species of native plants from 20 different plant families. Ninety-five percent of the plants in the backyard are native plants, right at Doug Tallamy’s threshold for the replacement of song bird populations. The front and side yards feature specimen or demonstration gardens showing what can be done with native plants in smaller spaces. While Paul has included some non-native ornamental plants in these gardens, 80 percent of the species are native to Tennessee, within the margin of error for bird replacement. From ground cover to canopy, Paul has attempted to create a certified wildlife habitat.

Paul lives in south Nashville between I-65 and Nolensville Road. Address will be distributed to registrants.

Description: This is a joint outing with the Tennessee Native Plant Society.

Get an inside / outside look at the Southeastern Grasslands Institute on a tour of SGI headquarters at Austin Peay State University, including their “Seeds of Success” native seed collection initiative, a tour of the largest collections in a Mid-South herbarium, and a stroll through the Native Plant Teaching and Research Garden. 

Afterwards, we’ll drive as a caravan to see a nearby SGI restoration site that includes over 50 acres of Pennroyal Plain Prairie.  The private restoration site should be in peak bloom for this visit!

Participants who need to leave after the campus leg may do so, but all are welcome to join us at the prairie and then leave from there. Click Read More (below) for additional details.

Wild Ones Middle Tennessee Chapter Board Meeting

Zoom Link

The garden and landscape of Rita and Phil Venable is in suburban Franklin near the Cool Springs mall. This garden will showcase three main ideas. One idea  is how to cut down on your lawn by cutting it in half. The second idea is how to recover from the removal of 40’ pin oak trees (diseased, had to be removed) and transitioning from a shade garden to a sun garden using mostly native plants. The third idea is how to use native plants in the landscape to help control erosion and provide habitat for pollinators. 

Rita and Phil must work within the guidelines of their HOA and want to do it in a friendly way that is also in step with the neighborhood.

Everyone is invited to help maintain the native gardens at Westmeade Elementary School.

We will tour the home garden of John and Donna Brevard in downtown Franklin, TN. The tour is open to everyone, but registration is required. The address will be shared with registrants.

Our June 2024 monthly meeting will be a pot-luck social event. The gathering will be open to everyone. If you can bring a dish or supplies, please use the signup.com link below to let us know.

Richard Hitt, chapter president, will give a short presentation on the state of the chapter at 7:30 PM CDT.

Zoom Link

Everyone is invited to help maintain the native gardens at Westmeade Elementary School.

We will continue to meet via Zoom for our chat meetings.  

These are informal and mostly unstructured meetings where anyone can ask questions related to native plants and related topics. Have a question about using native plants in your yard? Have some comments or pictures you want to share? This is the place to be.  Everyone is welcome.

The Zoom Link will open at 6:45 PM.

Our July 2024 monthly meeting will be a hybrid meeting featuring member Andra Prewett giving a presentation on

Rain Garden Success:  Tips for Installing and Maintaining Rain Gardens in Middle Tennessee

Rain gardens are a great way to reduce pollution and prevent flooding in our waterways.  In fact, many municipal stormwater departments encourage homeowners to install rain gardens on their properties.  Unfortunately, there’s a lot of conflicting information on the best way to go about this.  Andra will share her experience gained from managing the 2,900 square foot rain garden at Lane Agri-Park in Murfreesboro, TN, to help us better understand how to build a successful rain garden. 

Zoom Link

Shareable Flyer

Everyone is invited to help maintain the native gardens at Westmeade Elementary School. We will also be potting up some plants for the October plant sale.

We will continue to meet via Zoom for our chat meetings.  

These are informal and mostly unstructured meetings where anyone can ask questions related to native plants and related topics. Have a question about using native plants in your yard? Have some comments or pictures you want to share? This is the place to be.  Everyone is welcome.

The Zoom Link will open at 6:45 PM.

The Wild Ones Middle Tennessee Chapter August Board Meeting.

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88122714196?pwd=OaHUaKenmWYZYXRs47AFkSyCbgvvxi.1

Explore how native plants can enhance biodiversity and support ecosystems in our upcoming Wild Ones national webinar, “Combating the Biodiversity Crisis with Native Plants” featuring Sarah Gray and Coralie Palmer from the Indiana Native Plant Society.

Native plants are essential for maintaining biodiversity as they provide food and shelter for a wide range of wildlife, including pollinators, birds, and beneficial insects. By incorporating native plants into your landscape, you can create a thriving ecosystem that supports local fauna and flora. These plants are well-adapted to local environmental conditions, making them more resilient to climate change and reducing the need for chemical fertilizers and pesticides. Attendees will learn how native plants can improve soil health, enhance water retention, and contribute to a more sustainable and vibrant ecosystem.

Sara and Coralie are part of the Indiana Native Plant Society (INPS) Landscaping team, and they have collaborated on diverse projects across Indiana, including native planting schemes for schools, community gardens, the Eiteljorg Museum, and the Humane Society. Their new design for Indianapolis reflects typical sub-divisions in Indiana and considers future climate challenges, such as increased flooding and hotter, drier summers. The design features resilient, native Indiana plants that thrive in local soil conditions and contribute to the ecosystem.

Don’t miss this opportunity to gain insights from leading experts in native plants! Participants will gain practical insights into native garden designs and learn how tailored landscaping can support wildlife, promote ecological balance, and help restore natural habitats. 

We will continue to meet via Zoom for our chat meetings.  

These are informal and mostly unstructured meetings where anyone can ask questions related to native plants and related topics. Have a question about using native plants in your yard? Have some comments or pictures you want to share? This is the place to be.  Everyone is welcome.

The Zoom Link will open at 6:45 PM.

Explore the ecological and aesthetic advantages of hedges and hedgerows in our upcoming Wild Ones national webinar, “The Beauty and Benefits of Hedgerows” with Heather McCargo, founder of Wild Seed Project.

Native hedgerows are diverse plantings of woody plants from shrubs to small trees along with herbaceous groundcovers at their base.  Learn how these low-maintenance and sustainable plantings of shrubs, trees, and groundcovers can enhance biodiversity, provide critical habitats for wildlife, and contribute to climate resilience. Discover practical tips for designing and implementing hedgerows in various landscapes, from farms to urban settings, and understand their role in supporting pollinators, birds, and soil health. 

 You will also learn about Heather McCargo and the Wild Seed Project's latest collaboration with Wild Ones on the new Native Garden Design for Portland, ME. Don't miss this opportunity to gain insights from a leading expert in native plant restoration and take your landscaping skills to the next level. 

Note: Our September 2024 hybrid meeting will be on the fifth Monday of the month rather than our usual fourth Monday to avoid conflict with Joanna Brichetto's new book event at Parnassus Books on September 23.

Presentation: Rita Venable will unveil an updated version of her most popular presentation, A Home for Butterflies. What kind of real estate do butterflies look for when choosing a home? Do they like what they see, smell and taste at your garden or do they turn up their antennae and look elsewhere? This presentation will focus on what butterflies need and how to plan your garden space. It will  include a list of top nectaring plants for Tennessee butterflies. Also, we will discuss hostplants­ - “including trees” -  for butterflies.

Bio: Rita is the author of the popular field guide, “Butterflies of Tennessee.” She is also a host for the TV show “Volunteer Gardener.” She has published numerous articles and photographs in literary publications, newspapers, and magazines. Follow the Read More link for more details.

Location: Ed Jones Auditorium, Ellington Agricultural Center, 416 Hogan Road, Nashville, TN 37220

When: Monday, September 30, 2024, 7:00 - 8:30 PM CDT.

Freebie/Swap Table: Don't forget to bring items to our monthly meetings: Plants, Seed, Books, Magazines, Pots, Gardening Tools, Publications, Note Cards, etc. 

Zoom: Link

We will continue to meet via Zoom for our chat meetings.  

These are informal and mostly unstructured meetings where anyone can ask questions related to native plants and related topics. Have a question about using native plants in your yard? Have some comments or pictures you want to share? This is the place to be.  Everyone is welcome.

The Zoom Link will open at 6:45 PM.

For our joint native plant with Owl's Hill Nature Sanctuary, online ordering will be available from October 8 - 15 (Tuesday to Tuesday) with plant pickup on Friday, October 18. The in-person sale will be Saturday, October 19, 10 AM - 12:30 PM. There will be around 1,300 native plants from 112 species available.  

Complete plant is available here.  Some of the plants on the list may not be available at the beginning of the online sale.  Check back as often as you want to see what's been added.

The order site is here but won't be functional until Tuesday, October 8, at Noon.

Plant sale volunteers needed. Signup

Learn how to use high-density plantings that replicate natural ecosystems in aesthetically pleasing designs, enhancing ecological functions while reducing maintenance efforts in our upcoming Wild One's national webinar, "Matrix Landscape Design" with author, landscape designer, activist, and educator Benjamin Vogt.

Matrix planting is a landscape design approach that mimics natural ecosystems by closely planting and layering compatible perennials and grasses to cover the soil, provide more ecosystem services, and eliminate the need for wood mulch or aggressive weeding.  Join Wild Ones for a webinar to learn how author, educator, and landscape designer Benjamin Vogt applies this approach to create stunning native gardens. Learn the principles behind this method, its ecological benefits, and practical steps to implement matrix planting in your own garden. 

You will also learn about Benjamin's latest collaboration with Wild Ones on the new Native Garden Design for Lincoln, NE. Don't miss this opportunity to gain insights from a leading voice in natural garden design and take your gardening skills to the next level. Register now to secure your spot! 

Summary: Gray Perry of The Cumberland River Compact invites everyone to learn about water quality and stream restoration in the Cumberland River Basin. Gray will provide a general overview of common stream impairments, signs of an impacted stream, and stream restoration projects that the Compact has completed in the past. 

Bio:  Gray Perry is the Watershed Science and Restoration Program Manager at the Cumberland River Compact. Gray started at the Compact in 2017 as an Americorps member, and after completing his term, he has continued to support the Compact’s work through a variety of roles. He currently manages restoration projects to improve the health of streams, rivers, and wetlands throughout the Cumberland River Basin. Gray has an M.S. in Geosciences from Middle Tennessee State University and a B.S. in Geology and Environmental Studies from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. 

Meeting:  This will be a hybrid Zoom/in-person meeting (Zoom Link) with doors opening at 6:30 PM and meeting starting at 7:00 PM CDT.

Zoom Link: Zoom Link

Swap/Freebie Table: Everyone is invited to contribute items to our monthly meeting exchange table: native plants, seed, books, magazines, pots, gardening tools, publications, note cards, etc. 

We will continue to meet via Zoom for our chat meetings.  

These are informal and mostly unstructured meetings where anyone can ask questions related to native plants and related topics. Have a question about using native plants in your yard? Have some comments or pictures you want to share? This is the place to be.  Everyone is welcome.

The Zoom Link will open at 6:45 PM.

The Wild Ones Middle Tennessee Chapter August Board Meeting.

 https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84789715488?pwd=LDozWlyhOkEvidnkVP2gbaL7vq24Jf.1

Native plants have an incredible ability to adapt to climate extremes, offering sustainable solutions for resilient landscapes. Join Wild Ones and the Native Plant Society of Texas to explore the power of native plants to thrive in challenging conditions.

This event features Christy Ten Eyck, founder of Ten Eyck Landscape Architects. Drawing from her latest Dallas-Fort Worth native garden design, Christy will share insights into designing low-maintenance, ecologically rich spaces that withstand intense climate fluctuations.

For this hybrid meeting (in-person and Zoom), Richard Hitt will give a short presentation on Lorrie Otto and the early history of Wild Ones.

A Brief History of Wild Ones

We will continue with our Freebie/Swap Table: bring any plants, seeds, books and other publications, pots, gardening tools, note cards, etc., that you want to offer. But this won't be our regular swap table — this will be a beefed up holiday version consisting of our usual items plus many sought-after native plant books. 

Book List

Date: Monday, December 9
Time: 7:00 – 8:3M CST
Location: Ed Jones Auditorium, Ellington Ag Center, 416 Hogan Road, Nashville, TN (36.06398, -86.74472)

Zoom link .

Neonicotinoid insecticides, commonly known as “neonics,” have become the most widely used insecticides in the U.S., leading to drastic declines in bees, pollinators, birds, and aquatic ecosystems. In this webinar, Lucas Rhoads, Senior Attorney with NRDC’s Pesticides & Pollinators Team, will share expert insights on how neonics impact our environment and pose serious risks to human health. He’ll delve into the harms associated with neonic-treated seeds, which are a major source of contamination, and explore effective policy advocacy strategies to rein in their widespread use without disrupting farmers or landscapers.

We will have a pot luck dinner at the home of Donnie Bryan and Bill Saladay in the Bellevue neighborhood of Nashville on Sunday, December 15 from 5:30 to 8:00 PM CST. This is a member-only event. The address will be provided during the registration process (registration required).

We will continue to meet via Zoom for our chat meetings.  

These are informal and mostly unstructured meetings where anyone can ask questions related to native plants and related topics. Have a question about using native plants in your yard? Have some comments or pictures you want to share? This is the place to be.  Everyone is welcome.

The Zoom Link will open at 6:45 PM.