Chapter Events

Bring some native seeds (seed exchange/sharing is happening at our December Meeting) and a milk jug or 2.  We will supply soil, pots, trays etc.  If you have extra feel free to bring some too.  If you bring soil make sure it is not advertised as moisture retaining.  Great way to start Native Plants for planting in 2026!

FREE for Chapter Members

$10 for nonmembers 

Please join us as we gather to celebrate our love for Native Plants!

Get to know other members, share knowledge, ask questions & help us build our community.

Bring a guest & be eligible to win a door prize.

More details to follow…

Gardening Green Expo 2026 will be a hybrid event this year, and it is scheduled for March 16-21. There will be live Zoom presentations during the week, and will have a live event at Kennedy’s Country Gardens on Saturday, March 21 from 10am-2pm.  Wild Ones will have a table display in the greenhouse at the live event.  Please stop by and say hello and take in the displays and live speakers.

Doug Tallamy will be doing a Zoom presentation on his new talk Next Steps for Nature on Tuesday, March 17.  Details on other Zoom speakers to follow.

The theme this year is Help Heal the Planet - Most of us remember a time when windshields needed frequent cleaning from insects and yards were alive with birds and butterflies. Fields once held cocoons, chrysalises, and egg cases, and backyards teemed with insect and bird life. Today, these are far less common, raising the question: where have all the birds and bugs gone?
Since the 1970s, North America has lost more than three billion birds—nearly one-third of its population. Insects, the foundation of the food web, have declined by over 40%, with some regions experiencing losses of up to 75% of flying insects. A single chickadee requires nearly 9,000 caterpillars to raise one brood; when insects disappear, birds cannot survive. Habitat loss, pesticide use, and climate change are the primary drivers of these declines.
We can do our part to help heal the planet by making thoughtful choices at home. Planting native species that require less water and fertilizer, avoiding pesticides and herbicides, and creating backyard habitats for insects can make a meaningful difference. Gardens can become vital links in pollinator corridors, helping restore ecosystems one plant choice at a time.

In the words of E. O. Wilson, insects are “the little things that run the world.”
It’s true: protecting insect life protects all life.
Insects fulfill vital roles for keeping our planet functioning, such as pollinating our flowers, serving as food sources for birds, decomposing wastes, and cycling nutrients.

By growing native plants, we can protect insects. Plants provide the foundation for insect life. This extends beyond pollinations services. Virtually all terrestrial and freshwater aquatic plants are fed on by insects.
Join this program!
We will review science-based information to provide actionable tools you can rely on. Want to support nature? 
With the right knowledge and tools, we can build a healthier planet.
*The intimate connection between plants and insects
*Potential causes for insect declines
*Planting recommendations
*Gardening tips

Bio:
Blake Dinius B.S. in Biology from University of Massachusetts – Boston, 7 years experience in insect research, 7 years experience as the entomologist educator for Plymouth county extension, lifetime lover of insects, spiders, centipedes and all things entomology-related.

Adding Native Plants for Native Birds!

Please join us for a presentation & discussion around Planting Native Plants for our Native Birds.  The benefit of adding Native Plants to our landscapes is they attract Native Birds.  These Birds rely on the seeds & insects attracted by Natives to maintain healthy populations - critically important!

Fellow gardeners - I'm delighted to invite you to my very-much-in-progress acre being converted to a native plant retreat.  We are into the third year and battling lots of invasives (and beginning to see the progress of the native perennials, shrubs, and trees).  Lots of new things are getting planted and established.  Some have volunteered or been uncovered as the years of debris, thickets of vines, and conventional lawn are being given the opportunity for regenerating. I'm looking forward to your suggestions and criticisms!

 I'll have some refreshments on the deck in the back, so come any time after 8:30 - just walk around on the walkway to the back. The wonderful landscaper from Restoration Landcare, *Sam Mohnkern, will be with us and we'll check out our near-acre at 328 Union St in Hanover. He has been gardener for all sorts of local folks including a college Aboretum and Kristen from Blue Stem.

We'll have some food and time for conversation on the deck after the tour!

*Samuel Mohnkern has been working in the fields of arboriculture and ecological restoration for over 14 years. Having spent 8 of those years at Eastern Nazarene College where he began his tree care trade and also specializing in green space conversion with a focus on native woodland gardens. During the last six years he started his own business, Restoration Landcare, where he manages projects and properties throughout the north east focusing primarily on South Eastern Massachusetts and Western Pennsylvania where he and his family resides. His experience in arboriculture as a tree care specialist has diversified his range of work from tree climbing, trimming and removal services, to select timber harvesting, managing forest succession and invasive species control. This aspect of his business directly compliments his background in landscape design and property management with an ecological perspective. Samuel’s family is directly involved in his work with the support of his wife and 3 daughters as well as his youngest sister who is one of his primary project managers. 

We will email registrants address & parking instructions prior to the event

Registration due before July 11

From our hosts:

We have MANY native plants and shrubs.  We try our best to buy straight species plants, though some cultivars or nativars are also here.  We are very focused on helping birds and other pollinators.  We never use pesticides or herbicides and only organic fertilizers.  

I became a master gardener in 2015 and have been the project manager at Manomet Gardens For Wildlife, since 2017.  My husband Art, is also a gardener,  though not certified like I am.  He is very focused on growing organically and he grows a lot of plants that are known to have medicinal value.  Art is also a volunteer at the Marion Community Garden.  We have hosted several garden tours, for the local garden groups and for the Mass Master Gardeners.

Our property is 3/4 acres.  We have a ‘mini meadow’ in the front yard where we have gradually been reducing the lawn.  

We have many paths that go uphill and into a woodland garden area with a few different ‘rooms’.  We have a lot of rock walls built mostly by Art with some help.  There is also a whimsical element to our garden with various sculptures, etc.  it is always changing and evolving and it’s exciting for us to e able to share it with other gardeners.  

Looking forward to hosting. 

Kathy & Art

*Reminder that Chapter Members get a 10% discount at nearby Tree Talk Natives in Rochester (summer hours show nursery open 1-4pm)

We will email registrants address & parking instructions prior to the event

Registration due before July 26

From our host:

Snake Hill Farm is a two acre property at the summit of Snake Hill in
Marshfield, MA.  It has been an evolving project for the last 34 years
we've lived here. When we moved in, there was no garden and only
brush, briars and woods with a tiny yard.  Over the years we've added
several gardens and borders on one acre, as well as tried to maintain
an acre of forest.  Along with our gardens we have 18 chickens, 2
beehives and 2 cats who guard and enjoy the property.  The property is
an old chicken farm from and the vegetable garden sits on top of one
of the foundations. Surrounded by a stone wall on 3 borders, many wild
plants and bushes live among some non-natives.  I've only recently
been exposed to the concept of planting native species, and am working
to identify as well as introduce new ones as I continue my gardening
and farming journey. Many species like goldenrod, milkweed, queen
anne's lace and spillane volunteer themselves and have been welcome
residents in the garden. I have no intentions of ripping out what I
have, but as things don't come back, I will be introducing native
plants in their place, and suggestions are welcome.

I will have light refreshments and beverages for everyone on the back
deck as you arrive, and I look forward to seeing you!

Registration is due before August 9th

Our Wild Ones Chapter will have a booth display at this year's Marshfield Fair.  Horticulture (bottom floor if Agi Hall).  Lots to see and enjoy at this yearly event.  Please stop by and check us out and see all the other displays.  Educational & FUN!

Tour the Nancy Hemingway Memorial Garden in Norwell

Nancy was a long time Conservation agent for Norwell who lost her battle with breast cancer.  She had a vision of the property being a wildflower meadow and a haven for pollinators.  The project started in 2021 with a committee of members of the Norwell Conservation Commission and the Norwell Beautification Committee and other interested parties.  Community Preservation funds were awarded for the project.
The group agreed to implement a plan for a garden I would design using native plants with a focus on pollinators for bees, butterflies and hummingbirds. 

Because of the connection to breast cancer the flower choice will include as many pink flowers as possible.  I chose a location along the well-used walkway at the Conservation property on Circuit Street.  I wanted to develop a space which would display native plants and supply a restful location for walkers.  Five benches were installed to provide seating.  A bronze plaque was installed to commemorate Nancy.  In choosing the plants I had a number of criteria: pink flowers, deer and rabbit resistant, attractive to pollinators and cycle of bloom. The area is about 325 square feet. I installed 20 varieties of native plants and three pink roses.

Our September Meeting is OPEN to Wild Ones South Shore Chapter Members and their nonmember guests  - Please join us as we meet up to connect & share our native plant stories & questions.  Great way to get to know our chapter members & learn.  Hope you can join us!