Page 18 - MNLGA Free State Winter 2025

GOING NATIVE (Continued)

impediments to widespread adoption of native plants educational articles to support gardening success;
include confusion about what’s native, a shortage of photos and descriptions of 300+ featured plants; plant
native plant materials (especially for large projects), lists for specific site conditions; aquatic plants suitable for
timeline mismatches between plant specifiers and ponds; advice on managing invasive species; planting
growers, and the faulty perception that native plants are approaches in the face of climate change; an index of
too wild and don’t perform well in the built environment. plants native to the MD Piedmont; planting strategies
A great deal of progress has been made in tackling these from nature writer Nancy Lawson; and tips for dealing
issues, but there’s still much work to be done. Below are with deer. The MNPP team has many more exciting
some tools to help address these challenges. resources in the works for 2026 and beyond, including
Resources to Support Growers and Nurseries to Sell next year’s release of the Coastal Plain guide.
Native Plants As an Extension Specialist, I look forward to working with

Whether you are new to natives or a seasoned native and learning alongside all of you. I am keen to exchange
plant professional, the Maryland Native Plant Program ideas and brainstorm ways that the MNPP can best
(MNPP) is here to support you! The MNPP is a collaboration support your efforts to grow, sell, and use native plants
between University of MD Extension, MD Department of in natural areas, as well as residential and commercial
Agriculture (MDA), MD Department of Natural Resources, landscapes. Please reach out to me at lkuder@umd.edu if
and the MD Native Plant Society. Our express goal is to you’d like to connect and learn more. A
help increase the demand for, use of, and availability of References
native plants in MD. In 2025, three new resources were 1. Khachatryan, H., Hodges, A. W., Hall, C. R., & Palma, M. A. (2020).
created for professionals and the general public alike: Production and marketing practices and trade flows in the United
(1) the MD Commercial Native Plant List (go.umd.edu/ States green industry, 2018. South. Coop. Ser. Bull, 421, 2020-2021.
CommercialMDNativePlantList), (2) MDA’s Best Native 2. Kingsley, J., Diekmann, L., Egerer, M. H., Lin, B. B., Ossola, A., &
Marsh, P. (2022). Experiences of gardening during the early stages
Plant Certification Program for wholesalers and retailers
of the COVID-19 pandemic. Health & place, 76, 102854. https://doi.
(go.umd.edu/NativePlantCertProgram), and (3) the org/10.1016/j.healthplace.2022.102854
MD Native Plant Guide, Piedmont Region (go.umd.edu/
3. Maryland Department of the Environment. (2000). Maryland
MDPiedmontGuide). Stormwater Design Manual, Volume II. Maryland.gov. Supplemented
by the Supplement 1, MDE, May 2009.
Hard copies of the Piedmont guide are available at
4. Tartaglia, E. S., & Aronson, M. F. (2024). Plant native: comparing
the MD Native Plant Society’s online store, select Master
biodiversity benefits, ecosystem services provisioning, and plant
Gardener events, and participating nurseries. The performance of native and non-native plants in urban horticulture.
Piedmont guide is the first in a series of three plant guides Urban Ecosystems, 27(6), 2587-2611.
covering the EPA’s Level II ecoregions in Maryland: Coastal 5. Tallamy, D. W., Narango, D. L., & Mitchell, A. B. (2021). Do non-native
Plain, Piedmont, and Mountain. The new Guide includes: plants contribute to insect declines?. Ecological Entomology, 46(4),
729-742.
6. Narango, D. L., Tallamy, D. W., & Marra, P. P. (2018). Nonnative plants
reduce population growth of an insectivorous bird. Proceedings of the
National Academy of Sciences, 115(45), 11549-11554.

7. Sara Via. (2023). The effects of climate change in Maryland.
University of Maryland Extension. Retrieved October 26, 2025, from
https://extension.umd.edu/resource/effects-climate-change-maryland/

The MD Native Plant
Guide, Piedmont Region
is a new UMD Extension
publication and the Lisa Kuder
first in a series of three Native Plants & Landscape Specialist,
ecoregion plant guides. University of Maryland Extension

18 WINTER 2025 • Free State News