Events

Join us for a visit to Stonecrop Gardens. Known for its dramatic landscape of windswept fields and rocky slopes, Stonecrop is located in Cold Spring, NY. The gardens were created by Garden Conservancy founder Frank Cabot and his wife Anne. The garden’s mission is to inspire gardeners to explore the variety of plants and to experiment in the garden. Though these gardens are not exclusively or even primarily planted with natives, we will be focusing on design principles. The woodland, cliff rock garden, and water gardens can provide inspiration to those who are interested in creating naturalistic garden designs using native. We will receive an orientation to the garden and then as a group explore the woodlands together collecting ideas that can be applied to shade gardens using native species. After that you’ll be free to explore on your own the cliff rock gardens, alpine gardens, etc. on a self guided tour.

There is a $10 general admission ($5 for seniors 65+) to Stonecrop Garden which will be collected at the site. Registration is required with a limit of 20 people. Registration will be available closer to the event date. Subscribe to our monthly newsletter to receive program announcements. Carpooling for this event is encouraged. If you have any questions please contact [email protected]

Call for Volunteers

Wild Ones Mid-Hudson Valley and  Carnwath Community Farming in Wappinger call for volunteers

Join us to learn how to prepare a native meadow in the Town of Wappinger at
Carnwath Farms overlooking the Hudson River. Carnwath Community Farming began 3 years ago in this 99 acre public park and will expand the 10 acre farm project to include meadows. The meadow will help reduce the lawn while supporting the pollinators needed by the farm and gardens.

We will start preparing a new meadow using plastic tarps and begin by filling sandbags which will hold down the tarps. Next we will lay tarps on an area which is now a mowed lawn. The sandbags will then be placed on the tarps to hold everything in place. Over the summer, the tarps will smother the existing plants enabling us to sow meadow seeds this fall. Watch for the volunteer meadow seeding event in November.
In addition to helping with the tarps, you will see another area being prepared by tilling to remove all the existing vegetation. This will be an opportunity to learn about two different methods of meadow preparation.

We will also talk about what to expect next year and the following years and how the meadows will be maintained in the future.

This is a free, public event on public property. Registration is required with a limit of 20 people. This is also a family friendly event and supervised children are welcome. If you have any questions please contact [email protected]

Subscribe to our monthly newsletter to receive program announcements.

Flying Trillium Gardens and Preserve is located in the southern Catskill Mountains in Sullivan County, NY. The gardens are an ongoing work by author, teacher, and landscape designer, Carolyn Summers. Throughout her career, Carolyn has been acutely aware of the need for clients, DIY homeowners, and designers to be able to see how lovely native plants are when used in garden settings. The Catskills - mostly in a Zone 5 climate - makes an excellent test for fitness and hardiness. In addition to managed gardens, large areas of the property are preserved to protect native flora in their natural habitats, along with the wildlife that depend on them. We invite you to come and experience the beauty, diversity and sustainability of the native flora for yourself. These gardens will leave you inspired to plant more of the same.

Registration is required with a limit of 20 people. Subscribe to our monthly newsletter to receive program announcements. Address will be sent to all who register. In the meantime, if you have any questions, please contact [email protected].

All members are invited to join the next Wild Ones Mid-Hudson Valley leadership team meeting on Tuesday, June 11, from 4:00 to 6:00 pm in Poughkeepsie. We will be discussing a range of topics. Interested members-volunteers are welcome to join. If you would like to attend, please get in touch with us at [email protected]. As a new chapter, we have a lot we're doing and planning, and we appreciate our members' participation!

Are you craving more edibles in your native plant garden? In addition to the many native plants in your garden, why not consider some of the uncommon native fruit species that can be cultivated here in the Hudson Valley. The renowned garden-writer Lee Reich, will host us at his Farmden (a mixture of farm and garden) in New Paltz, NY where he grows a variety of native edibles from blueberries to paw paw.

Lee Reich’s farmden is an inspiration for ways that beautiful natives can be integrated into your garden both as formal beds and interwoven with other landscape plants. If we’re lucky some fruit will be ripe enough to sample. 

There is a $20 fee for this event which will be collected at the site (cash or check please). Registration is required with a limit of 20 people. Subscribe to our monthly newsletter to receive program announcements. Address will be sent to all who register. If you have any questions please contact [email protected]

All members are invited to join the next Wild Ones Mid-Hudson Valley leadership team meeting on Tuesday, July 9th, from 4:00-6:00 pm in Gardiner. We will be discussing a range of topics. Interested members-volunteers are welcome to join. If you would like to attend, please get in touch with us at [email protected]. As a new chapter, we have a lot we're doing and planning, and we appreciate our members' participation!

Join us for a tour of the Mountain Top Arboretum in Tannersville, NY.

We will meet with our guide Marc Wolf, the Director of Horticulture, at the Education Center and explore the building first. This timber-frame construction was built using twenty-one species of native trees from the Arboretum’s forest. From here we will explore the landscape surrounding the center, planted exclusively with species native to the Catskills. Designed by Jamie Purinton of the Hudson Valley, this landscape also features six interconnected rain gardens. The tour will then proceed to the West Meadow area which includes another Rain Garden, the Bird Cove and Spiral Labyrinth. Of special note in this area is a new 1.5-acre meadow designed by Larry Weaner. This is the meadow’s second growing season and hopefully we’ll see biennials such as Black-eyed Susan in full bloom.

For those with the time and energy, we encourage you to continue exploring with a self-directed tour of the Woodland Walk, East Meadow and Spruce Glen.

Registration is required with a limit of 20 people. A registration link will be available closer to the tour date. Address will be sent to all who register. Subscribe to our monthly newsletter to receive program announcements. In the meantime, if you have any questions, please contact [email protected].

When it comes to nurseries, Catskill Native Nursery stands out among the crowd. They offer-

1) A truly unusual number of native plant species and plant types;

2) Beautiful on-site native plant gardens to wander through; and

3) Knowledgeable staff able to discuss the plants along with ecological landscaping principles.

Please join us on this field trip for a talk by the nursery manager. We’ll discuss planting natives along with other ecological landscaping topics followed by a Q&A. The discussion incorporates a stroll through the gardens (border, cottage, and woodland) where an extensive variety of native plants have found a home. Whatever your native-gardening level—beginner to advanced—this field trip will further your understanding and leave you inspired to learn more - plant more.

Catskill Native Nursery has been inspiring gardeners since 1999 to create biodiverse and remarkably ornamental gardens using plants that are native to eastern North America.

Registration is required with a limit of 20 people. A registration link will be available closer to the tour date. Subscribe to our monthly newsletter to receive program announcements. If you have any questions, please contact [email protected].

All members are invited to join the next Wild Ones Mid-Hudson Valley leadership team meeting on Tuesday, August 13, from 5:00-6:30 pm on zoom. We will be discussing a range of topics. Interested members-volunteers are welcome to join. If you would like to attend, please get in touch with us at [email protected]. As a new chapter, we have a lot we're doing and planning, and we appreciate our members' participation!

Join us for a visit to the Hudson Valley Farm Hub’s Native Meadow Trial in Hurley, NY. If you are thinking about reducing your lawn and/or adding a meadow to your landscape. Or if you are already in the process of installing one, this field trip will give you a chance to see and learn about the process of meadow establishment.

This will be a hands-on workshop with discussion about establishing a meadow and seed mixes. We’ll learn about meadow management and the plants, insects, and wildlife they attract. Researchers and ecologists from the Applied Farmscape Ecology Research Collaborative will be our hosts. Our hosts will share lessons, observations, and interesting insights that apply to smaller projects like those of residential gardeners. We’ll learn more about how native meadows are effectively supporting biodiversity and helping to build healthy soils.

This is a free event, but registration is required with a limit of 20 people. The address and details will be sent to all who register. Subscribe to our monthly newsletter to receive program announcements. If you have any questions, please contact [email protected]

Join us for a tour of the gardens and meadows at Manitoga, the former home and 75-acre woodland garden of American industrial designer Russel Wright and a National Historic Landmark.

Our tour guide, Emily Phillips, will lead us on an exploration of the gardens surrounding this historical house along with the adjacent meadows designed by renowned landscape architect Darrel Morrison. This will be an opportunity to experience a naturalistic and ecological landscape in the setting of Russel Wright's unconventional vision.

"...Wright’s integrating vision changed all the familiar components, blending the built elements and the natural landscape together so that each was enriched, enhanced, and transformed by the other. Just as the house is interwoven with the site, the hillside is connected by views to its larger context of the Hudson River Valley..."

Registration is required with a limit of 15 people. A registration link will be available closer to the tour date. Detailed tour information will be sent to all who register. Subscribe to our monthly newsletter to receive program announcements. In the meantime, if you have any questions, please contact [email protected].

Are you interested in adding more winter interest to your garden? Join us on this visit to Hortus Arboretum & Botanical Gardens if you are like many of us, wondering how you can use native plants and ecological practices to enhance your landscape and gardens. We will explore the gardens, a ‘living textbook’ of plant species that thrive in the Hudson Valley. 

Hortus was started back in 2001 by Allyson Levy and Scott Serrano. Their beautiful gardens and greenhouse have expanded to include a field garden, native woodland, and varied collections organized by geographic origin and genus. We will be focusing on their use of native species and management techniques that will help sustain interest and enjoyment through the winter season by using plants with attractive bark, colorful berries, and beautiful structures.

We will collect a $20 fee for this event at the site (cash or check, please). Registration will be available closer to the event date. Subscribe to our monthly newsletter to receive program announcements. Carpooling for this event is encouraged. If you have any questions, please contact [email protected]