Meet Anne of Wild Heart Gardens, a vendor at this year's Fall Native Plant Festival on 9/6: As a kid, I helped my dad grow veggies and my mom grow flowers. We hiked together and vacationed in places like Hocking Hills and the Smokies. I learned to appreciate nature's beauty and the need to preserve the fragile ecosystems our human activities often destroy. As a parent, I'm deeply concerned about the condition of the earth we're leaving for future generations, but gardening with native plants is meaningful and hope-restoring. When my kids were younger we raised monarchs on our homegrown milkweed leaves. From there I learned about other host plants and the importance of planting a wide variety of native species to support the ecosystem. Another gateway into native plants was Late Boneset, which sprang up in my yard on its own. Curious, I let it grow. When it finally bloomed, I was astonished at the sheer number and variety of pollinators on one plant! It helped open my eyes to the insect diversity that native plants feed. I've also been inspired by the work of Douglas Tallamy, Heather Holm, Larry Weaner and others. I start seeds under lights in my basement, then pot them up on my back porch and move them to tables in my yard as early as possible. I typically grow 50+ species a year. It still feels magical when seeds start to sprout each spring. Nurturing the plants from tiny starts and then seeing them flourish in a garden is tremendously rewarding. I sell at events and to individuals, do consultations, create designs and install native gardens. One species I think deserves more love from gardeners is American Ipecac (Gillenia stipulata). It has everything: interesting foliage, lovely flowers, pollinator value, fall color. And sedges are unsung heroes in a native garden, serving as groundcover, host plants and a perfect complement to showier forbs. I've been especially enjoying Carex albicans, Carex woodii and Carex rosea. This will be my third time at the Fall Native Plant Festival, and I love the collective energy and enthusiasm around native plants-it gives me hope that we're learning, restoring and doing better for our planet. I'll see you there! civicgardencenter.org/fall-native-plant-festival (fb)

Join local herbalist Meghan Henshaw @ocotilloherbals to learn about ten medicinal plants that are uniquely suited to nourish the queer body and mind. You’ll deepen your knowledge about grounding and calming herbs such as linden, ashwagandha and lavender, alongside damiana, maca and other plants that support vitality, connection and queer joy. Herbal tea will be served during the class! (fb)