With 68 chapters in 27 states, Wild Ones is a far-reaching organization promoting environmentally sound landscaping to preserve biodiversity. Their landscaping methods focus on preservation, restoration and establishment of native plant communities. To find the chapter closest to you (there are seven in Minnesota!), you can use this interactive map. Becoming a chapter member is a great way to build community and receive their award-winning quarterly journal, full of gardening resources and native plant content. 

With the goal of making gardening with native plants more accessible to all, Wild Ones also provides many free resources for gardeners with all levels of experience. If you’re interested in gardening with native plants, their website is a goldmine—you can learn about the importance of native plants and find recorded webinars on a variety of topics, landscape templates for ecoregions across the United States and more. The templates provide ideas for all types of soil and light conditions.

Gardening with native plants is beneficial for the environment for many reasons. Native gardens also tend to require less maintenance as plants are climate-adapted. By adding natives to your garden, you’ll be doing both the environment and yourself a favor. Visit Wild Ones’ website to learn more.