Before retiring in 2017, Nancy Schumacher spent more than 30 years growing and selling plants at farmers’ markets, special events, and annual sales at her home. Over the years, products included traditional perennials, native species and herbs with the latter years dedicated almost exclusively to natives. She holds a degree in soil science from the University of Minnesota. Prior to her life as a grower, Nancy was a soil mapper in Stearns County. She also spent several years, both in research and consulting, on organic waste management. Her current focus is on rehabilitating the 50 acres that she and her husband own. They have established a conservation easement on the property and are working with Dakota County to return it to a more natural state.
Bare Root Clinic and Workshop | May 6th-June 11th
We invite you to register and attend one of our upcoming Bare Root Study and Demonstration Clinics. All events will be at the home of instructor unless otherwise noted.*
Participants are asked to bring one to three plants from your garden to practice on*. Remove only excess soil, transport plants in a large container, such as a 5 gallon pail or storage tub. We'll finish removing the soil from roots as part of the workshop. Any plants you bring must be completely contained when you arrive so as not to spill any soil. If you think you may have live worms, use a container with a tight lid.
You will receive additional instructions and address via email from juliakay@winternet.com. Each clinic is limited to 5 persons, protocols for masks and social distancing will be adhered to. Date will be cancelled in the event of severe weather or if fewer than 3 persons have registered. A text or voice mail message may be sent if cancellation is on short notice.
*May 16 clinic will be at a different location and will have separate instructions, check back later for more details and to register.
In case you missed our March and April mini-series programs on Jumping Worms, you can watch them on our YouTube Channel here.
Julia Vanatta - Jumping Worms: Protecting Our Garden Spaces | Monthly Presentation April 2021
Ryan Hueffmeier - Jumping Worms, the Latest Threat... | Monthly Presentation March 2021
And check back soon for more information on Summer Garden Tours, beginning with...
George and Bernice Watson's Native Plant Gardens, Lakeville
Wednesday, May 26th from 6:00 pm-8:00 pm
and
Saturday, May 29th from 10:00 am-3:00 pm
Please pre register HERE to help us plan for your visit. George will lead one guided tour on Wednesday evening and hourly guided tours on Saturday. Guests are welcome to tour the garden on their own as well.
When the Watsons moved into this home in August of 1987, it was a bare lot. They have added over 40 trees to the canopy and subcanopy in the last 34 years. Progressing from the front yard back, the percentage of natives in a garden increases as more recent additions are in the back, which includes a dry stream bed and three ponds. The rear of the property adjoins the Foxborough Conservation Area.
In addition to trips to Voyageurs National Park in northern Minnesota and local prairie garden tours, they also looked to undisturbed native areas in the neighborhood for inspiration. After taking an inventory of the areas they determined, per the Field Guide to the Native Plant Communities of Minnesota The Eastern Broadleaf Forest Province, that their home is in the MHs38b plot definitions. Using that as their plant list, George and Bernice have started integrating those plants into their gardens, replicating native plant settings to enhance the beautiful native wildflower landscape.
Our 15th Annual Native Plant Sale offers 7 collections and a variety of habitat garden favorites in 3 convenient sizes available for pre-order. All plants available for pre-order are grown by a local Minnesota native plant nursery without the use of neonics. A portion of each sale is a donation to our Wild Ones Twin Cities chapter, supporting our free education programs and tours.
For your convenience, we've made a PLANT SALE WORKSHEET you can download and print to plan your order. All flat and plant reservations will be accepted in the order they are received. It's possible some items will sell out so place your order as soon as possible.
Eventbrite will charge a small processing fee and credit card fee (per item) but you will not be required to pay any sales tax, a fundraising exemption offered non-profits by the State of Minnesota. If paying by check, you will only pay the Eventbrite processing fee, and will receive instructions on where to mail payment once your order is completed.
Approximately one week before the plant sale pick-up weekend, you will receive a reminder email with a one-time coupon good only on the day of pick-up for 10% discount on additional plant purchases and other merchandise, a great incentive. You must pre-order plants through the Wild Ones Twin Cities Native Plant Sale in order to receive this discount coupon. Please pick-up your pre-ordered plants and bring them to your car before purchasing additional plants or merchandise with your discount.
PICK-UP: from 9am-4pm on
Friday, June 4th | Saturday, June 5th | Sunday, June 6th
Get acquainted with the Nokomis Naturescape native plant demonstration gardens. A group of volunteers have maintained these gardens for 22 years. An opportunity for newcomers to learn about habitat gardening hands-on. Our gardening task will be clipping back the hollow/pithy type stems of last years plants so they can serve as homes for cavity nesting bees (see stems in poster photo). Bring clippers (or any snipping tool) you can plus gardening gloves. We’ll do a slow-gardening approach to clean-up chores with beneficial insects and bird habitat in mind.
The Nokomis Naturescape Gardeneers have a new program in 2021:
Native Plant Gardening Learn-Along
This is a mentoring opportunity where people newer to native plant habitat gardening can learn-alongside an experienced gardener (most Wild Ones Twin Cities members) with a couple of others. We’ll do the gardening chores that present themselves that week plus learn more about the plants and animal visitors (usually very small) we encounter. Learn-along the growing season topics will be presented at the beginning of each session. These 15-30 minutes presentations will then be followed by hands-on gardening time
(13) Sessions: Live every Tuesday, June 1 - August 24, 2021, 7 p.m. - 8 p.m. Central Time
A Collaboration with the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum, University of Minnesota Extension, Minnesota State Horticultural Society, and Minnesota Nursery and Landscape Association, and endorsed by Wild Ones Twin Cities.
Discount registration for the Minnesota Plants Summer Webinar Series
Join local horticultural experts live every Tuesday 7-8 p.m., June 1 - August 24 to learn to appreciate plants in their peak season, tackle pests and problems with expertise, identify new plants on your hikes, and much more! Each webinar will include a 30-45 minute presentation with time for questions along the way. Wild Ones Twin Cities members, volunteers and staff may register at the discounted member rate of $30 (regularly $40). The fee includes series access to all 13 webinars live & recorded, so you can watch at a time that is convenient to you! Find schedule, details, and register at z.umn.edu/MNPlantsSummer
To register with the discount: Click to register online for the Minnesota Plants Webinar Series. There is no need to "sign in," simply select the member rate and proceed to check out as a guest (Arboretum members may choose to sign in with their Arboretum member login if they prefer, and receive the same discounted rate). If you want to register with assistance from an Arboretum registrar, you may contact the Arboretum Education office at 612-301-1210 or ArbEdu@umn.edu.
We’re all aware of how healthy ecosystems can be altered and harmed by invasive species, many of us already volunteer to remove buckthorn, garlic mustard and other threats to our natural areas.
Today, a new threat is hitting us where it touches us personally, our own back yards. Jumping Worms, a highly destructive invasive species, have moved into Minnesota gardens and landscapes, especially urban settings. Wild Ones Twin Cities believes this is so important that we are using both March and April to share all we can about how to identify and contain Jumping Worms to protect not only our own gardens, but also our natural areas. We need to act as if Jumping Worms already exist in our home gardens as we transfer plants from one space to another.
We will begin in March with Ryan Hueffmeier teaching us what to look for and how to identify Jumping Worms. In April, Julia Vanatta will demonstrate gardening practices that will help us protect our gardens. Changing our garden habits will not only help with this new threat, it will help us prevent more familiar invasive species from traveling from one garden to another.
Both programs will allow ample time for discussion during the question and answer period. They will also be recorded and added to Wild Ones Twin Cities YouTube channel for later review and sharing.
We are pleased to present our Spring programs online, however, we will be limited to 100 participants at each Zoom meeting.
Jumping Worms, the Latest Threat to Our Gardens and Wild Areas.
An introductory level presentation on how to identify jumping worms, information about their life cycle, early detection and reporting.
Presenter: Ryan Hueffmeier, University of MN Duluth
UW-Madison Arboretum
Jumping worms are the latest invasive worm to arrive in Minnesota. They live in the top few inches of soil and alter soil structure and chemistry through their feeding and burrowing behaviors. Found in garden beds, mulch and compost piles they represent a threat to the health of our managed and wild landscapes. This will be an introductory level presentation on how to identify jumping worms, information about their life cycle, early detection and reporting. Prevention will be covered more in April and May, but tips for early detection and primary sources of how these travel is important. Jumping worms are spread through composting, horticulture, landscaping and bait. The overall goal of this project is to characterize the status of the jumping worm invasion in Minnesota.
In 2020, just as we became aware of how quickly Jumping Worms were infesting our local gardens, Wild Ones Twin Cities considered canceling our popular donated plant sale, hosted by Julia at her garden in Minneapolis. While not wanting to unknowingly spread an invasive species, we believed we were thorough in our efforts to minimize any risk. As we continue to learn more, we can no longer make that assumption.
In fall 2020, Julia began to experiment transferring plants via bare roots. As this technique is new to many of us, testing will continue throughout 2021 with support from other members of Wild Ones Twin Cities. In her presentation, Julia will share what we have learned thus far along with other tips for managing our gardens to protect them from jumping worms and other unwanted guests. These best practices will hopefully become the new normal, protecting our gardens and natural areas from accidental introduction of invasive species.
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Ryan Hueffmeier is a research, outreach, and education specialist with active projects in forest and landscape ecology and invasive species. He is Program Director at Boulder Lake Environmental Learning Center in Duluth,MN (http://www.boulderlake.org/), which runs programs for over 4,000 people and has over 10,500 visitors annually. Ryan works toward the transfer of scientific knowledge from evidence based research to the public through creating accessible outreach programs which deliver experiential educational opportunities incorporating volunteer based public participatory projects. He works with diverse audiences such as teacher and natural resource professional development, preK-12 and the general public. For the past decade Ryan has been part of the Great Lakes Worm Watch program and has developed local projects looking at vernal pools, bird populations, invasive species and tree survival. Currently, he is heading the Worm Ranger Jumping Worm project.
Julia Vanattahas been a homeowner and active member of Longfellow Community in Minneapolis since the late '70s. Getting serious about gardening roughly 20 years ago, Julia has used her own gardens to experiment and learn all she can about native plants and the wildlife they support, especially insects. For the past 15 years, Julia has been active as a leader in various capacities for Wild Ones Twin Cities. More recently she started the Facebook group, Native Plant Gardens in the Upper Midwest, a discussion group where members engage in an exchange of ideas and practices for local ecosystem gardening..
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Meet the designers who created our Minneapolis and St. Louis native garden designs!
This year's native plant sale offers 7 collections and a variety of habitat garden favorites in 3 convenient sizes available for pre-order. All plants are grown by a local Minnesota native plant nursery without the use of neonics. A portion of each sale is a donation to our Wild Ones Twin Cities chapter, supporting our free education programs and tours.
The Plant Your Milkweed Now — Winter Sowing Basics brought people to the Nokomis Naturescape on a sunny winter day in February. We are encouraged to do this again next year. We met a number of neighbors interested in doing what they can to help pollinators and bring nature home. WOTC members Sandy Nussbaum, Leslie Pilgrim, Eren Sutherland and I enjoyed the time reaching out to people and spreading the news. Felt right to get outside with a purpose. Not difficult to do this even with Covid-19 protocol. The gardens seedy interest had something to offer too.
— Vicki Bonk, Nokomis Naturescape Stewardship and Volunteer Lead
In case you missed our February program, you can see it on our chapter's YouTube Channel here:
Connecting Community and Native Habitat—
Growing a Sense of Place
Vicki Bonk, Nokomis Naturescape Stewardship and Outreach Lead
Vicki Bonk, Nokomis Naturescape Stewardship and Outreach Lead
Within all our neighborhoods, there are likely natural amenities that spark a nature connection for the residents. Building on these assets can help generate the “Homegrown National Park” Douglas Tallamy forwarded in “Nature’s Best Hope”. What features in your community encourage more native plantings? This presentation will focus on one southeast Minneapolis community’s twenty-five year history of ongoing habitat projects where one endeavor lead to another and in the process created corridors and in-roads! These ventures are promoted with workshops, plant sales, online presentations and a large celebration. The outreach model for community participation became - demonstrate, educate and celebrate.
Community outreach will grow this year by highlighting the native plants at home in the area surrounding Lake Nokomis Park, within Minnehaha Park and also the Mississippi River National Park and Recreation Area that includes Coldwater Spring. In the summer of 2021, people will have an opportunity to visit the Nokomis East Neighborhood projects, homes and nearby parks on a the WOTC Garden Tour.
A lively 2020 scene along the Monarch Mile* provided the public with a vision of what can be.
*A Nokomis East Neighborhood Association native boulevard plantings project of a street corridor connecting two larger habitat gardens. Neighborhood habitat projects help connect people, wildlife and the land to nearby nature reserves.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Vicki's commitment to native plant gardening was activated in 1995 when she suggested a community project of a butterfly garden at Lake Nokomis Park in Minneapolis. Thus, the Nokomis Naturescape (NN), came into being in 1998. Since then, Vicki has served as the NN volunteer stewardship and outreach coordinator, working with the local neighborhood association, green team and park board. The NN mission is to "encourage people to connect with nature by growing native plant habitat gardens." With this focus, the Grow Monarch Habitat Workshops were created in 2006. The beloved monarch butterfly, a flagship species, was chosen as an ambassador to inspire people to plant livelier home landscapes that beckon many beneficial creatures. The workshops were a catalyst for the Minneapolis Monarch Festival, a popular annual event since 2009.
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Congratulations to two of our Wild Ones Twin Cities members, John Arthur and Roz Johnson, whose photographs were featured in the 2021 9 Mile Creek calendar! You can watch the video presentation here.
WE WANT TO HELP YOU CREATE STRIKING HOME LANDSCAPES THAT BENEFIT WILDLIFE AND YOU.
This national site provides practical, educationally-sound information on native landscaping developed specifically for first-time native plant gardeners looking for help getting started.
The site also features a growing number of free, downloadable native garden designs created by professional landscape designers for multiple ecoregions in the United States, taking into account various light, soil and moisture conditions.
A plant list accompanies each design and provides a quick preview of the diversity and beauty of the native plants incorporated in each design. Both the designs and the plant lists are printer-friendly.
We hope these resources inspire, encourage and motivate you in your native garden journey!
Wild Ones is sponsoring a series of Home Gardeners & Educators webinars in conjunction with New Directions in American Landscape (NDAL). There are two FREE webinars! And, Wild Ones members receive a discounted price on two webinars. Members will pay $20 instead of $28!
This virtual series features interviews where Larry Weaner, founder of NDAL, compares notes with iconic practitioners Piet Oudolf, Gerould Wilhelm, Charles Birnbaum, and Darrel Morrison. This is a great opportunity to learn about ecologically sound landscaping right from your own home!
Two FREE webinars and two discounted webinars from $28 to $20 for Wild Ones members only!
In addition to trips to Voyageurs National Park in northern Minnesota and local prairie garden tours, they also looked to undisturbed native areas in the neighborhood for inspiration. After taking an inventory of the areas they determined, per the Field Guide to the Native Plant Communities of Minnesota The Eastern Broadleaf Forest Province, that their home is in the MHs38b plot definitions. Using that as their plant list, George and Bernice have started integrating those plants into their gardens, replicating native plant settings to enhance the beautiful native wildflower landscape.
