Wild Ones Twin Cities Minnesota

 

Tuesday, May 16:

A to Z on Sourcing Minnesota Native Plants

Presenter: Julia Vanatta

Wood Lake Nature Center | 6710 Lake Shore Dr S, Richfield, MN 55423

Register HERE for online access.

Meet and Greet at Wood Lake | 6:30 pm 

Meet and Chat on Zoom | 6:45 pm

Announcements and Program | 7:00 to 8:30 pm

Want to join Wild Ones Twin Cities or renew your membership? Click here!

Shopping for and sourcing native plants can be challenging. Some plants sell out quickly, others are still in dormancy and not available until mid June. 

In this presentation, Wild Ones member, Julia Vanatta, will walk you through the many options available to Twin Cities gardeners. Program will include tips on sourcing and growing from seed, budget considerations, reading a label, shopping on line, venturing out to native plant sales, outdoor markets and nurseries along with what to look for when shopping at your local garden center.  

For those attending in person, Wild Ones members may bring a sample of their winter sown containers to determine if they are ready to transplant into a larger container or garden setting. Assessing the milk jugs will be done during social time before and after presentation. 

About the speaker:

Julia Vanatta has been a homeowner in Minneapolis since late 1970s. Getting serious about gardening over 20 years ago, she uses her own gardens to experiment and learn all she can about native plants and the wildlife they support, especially insects. Julia has been active as a leader in various capacities for Wild Ones Twin Cities for many years. 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.

SPRING NATIVE PLANT SALES

Wild Ones Twin Cities has opted not to offer a plant sale this spring. Please consider supporting native plant sales offered Big River Big Woods, Prairie Edge or SE Minnesota chapters. There are also three open native plant markets, including City of Burnsville and St Paul Audubon Society's Landscape Revival (two dates).

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SATURDAY | MAY 27, 2023

11:00 am to 12:30  |  Plus travel time and possible lunch after

Guided Tour of Habitats: Saint John's Boardwalk Loop

Stephen Saupe and Brian Johnson will be our guides.

Twin Cities Chapter has arranged for a guided tour at Saint John's Arboretum in Collegeville, Minnesota. We will join tour guides, Steve Saupe & Brian Johnson, to look for spring-flowering plants and trees. The 1.5-mile loop is relatively flat and passes through prairie, conifer, wetland, deciduous forest and savanna habitats.

About our Tour Guides

Stephen Saupe is a professor emeritus from the joint Biology Department of the College of St. Benedict and Saint John's University, where he taught for more than 40 years. He is a broadly trained botanist. He wrote a wrote a monthly column on popular botanical topics for the St. Cloud Times, and is one of the maple syrup makers at Saint John's.

Brian Johnson has taught chemistry at The College of St. Benedict and St. John’s University for over 30 years. He has been a member of the St. Cloud Wild Ones for over 20 years and is currently serving as President. In addition, he is a volunteer with the Minnesota Biological Survey of the MN DNR, where he assists with rare plant surveys.

REGISTRATION REQUIRED

This is a member only tour, space is limited and registration is required. More details available via this registration link.

Please email Julia if you would be willing to help coordinate these exclusive member only events. Coordinator be responsible for making carpool arrangements.