Trailing Arbutus is one of our earliest blooming wildflowers and has been considered a “herald of spring” with its extremely fragrant clusters of pink to white flowers blooming from late February to April in our area.
Read MoreOne of my favorite sights while walking in winter woodlands are the beautiful evergreen leaves of Downy Rattlesnake Plantain, Goodyera pubescens. This eye-catching beauty is one of our most common woodland orchids and instantly recognizable by its exquisitely etched leaves with an intricate network of fine white veins on either side of a broader white midvein.
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The purpose of this scholarship is to recognize an outstanding student graduating from a High School, either public or private in the four Northern Neck Counties: Lancaster, Northumberland, Richmond Co., and Westmoreland. The graduating senior must exhibit a desire to continue studies in a recognized College, University or Community College with a focus on the environment, conservation, botany or any discipline that is geared toward bettering our Commonwealth with an emphasis on flora of the Northern Neck.
Read MoreThe January Plant of the Month, Eastern Red Cedar, Juniperus virginiana, goes by many names such as Eastern Juniper, Red Cedar or even Pencil Juniper. This widespread handsome native tree is found from Nova Scotia and Ontario south to northern Florida and Texas and west across the Great Plains and is extremely cold and heat tolerant.
Read MoreHICKORY HOLLOW NATURAL AREA PRESERVE
LANCASTER, VA
JANUARY 1, 2024, AT 2 PM
New Year’s Day is the perfect day, to get outside for a stroll and start the New Year off naturally and focused on our native flora and fauna. A number of years ago the Northern Neck (NN) Chapter of the Virginia Native Plant Society began a New Year’s Day Walk at Hickory Hollow Natural Area Preserve in Lancaster County.
Read MoreAs I write this in early December, most of the fall leaves have fallen from our deciduous trees and their architecture and bark has taken center stage helping to brighten the landscape. Birch trees are known for their colorful bark and our River Birch, Betula nigra, is no exception with its exquisite pale pink to salmon exfoliating bark making it one of our most stunning and picturesque trees.
Read MoreSassafras, Sassafras albidum, is one of our most distinctive and colorful native deciduous trees. Its brilliance is especially vibrant in fall when its leaves ignite into a glorious kaleidoscope of reds, golds, oranges and even purples. Even in summer, the blue-green leaves of Sassafras are distinctive with three different leaf shapes on a single tree.
Read MoreSlender Flat-top Goldenrod is a beautiful deciduous, perennial closely related to goldenrods and is an underused but superior pollinator plant. Its nectar-rich flowers bloom over a long period from September into late fall, often lasting into November or even December.
Read MoreIn watching more detailed weather forecasts this morning I realize that we need to cancel the Plant Sale on Saturday morning. The Tropical Storm threatens too much wind, rain and dangerous storm surge for our members and volunteers to venture out safely on Saturday. (no matter how wonderful and important our native plants are). Please stay safe and careful and VISIT US ON SUNDAY at Dug In for the final day of our sale.
Read MoreOur fall sale has been extended throughout the weekend. We will be at dug in farms on both Saturday and Sunday mornings to help folks purchase the perfect palette of plants for their gardens. Yes, we know we are in for a BIG tropical storm and the weather is supposed to be windy and rainy all day long Saturday, so we have extended our sale to all day Sunday. Please join us to shop on Sunday as well as Saturday while the weather let's us! But above all be safe!
Read MoreMark your calendar for Saturday, September 16, as the first day of the Northern Neck Chapter of the Virginia Native Plant Society (NNVNPS) Annual Native Plant Sale. The sale will begin at 9 am Saturday morning and continue through Saturday, September 23. Again, this year, the Native Plant Sale will be held at Dug In Farm on Fleets Bay Rd, off Rt. 3 in White Stone.
Read MoreBushy Bluestem, also called Bushy Bluebeard, is a compact, beautiful native grass often reaching only 2 – 4’ high, with attractive foliage and distinctive dense, feathery inflorescences that glow silvery white with pinkish tints in the fall light.
Read MoreSpotted Beebalm or Eastern Horsemint is an eye-catcher with plenty of charm when it blooms from late July to September and is easy to fall in love with. The flowers are not quite as large and impressive as some other Beebalms but they make up for it with intricately beautiful and showy flowers.
Read MorePickerelweed is a standout in any garden pond, or freshwater coastal stream or river when its showy lavenderblue 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 foot of water.
Read MoreThe Northern Neck Chapter of the Virginia Native Plant Society (NNVNPS) is holding our Annual Native Plant from Friday, Sept. 15 through Saturday, Sept. 23 at Dug In Farm in White Stone, Virginia.
Read MoreThe Kilmarnock Town Centre Park is a regional asset is so many ways -the Dog Park, the Half Shell Stage, the Splash Pad, the River Play kids water feature and all the events it hosts but one that is often overlooked is the sustainability merged in the park’s construction.
Read MoreRoyal Fern, Osmunda spectabilis, is one of our most imposing native ferns and is distinctive in every way. Growing 5 or 6’ tall with a light textured, elegant habit it is nothing short of spectacular.
Read MoreVirginia 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.
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