Chapters in Indiana

The Winter Sowing Workshop that was canceled due to weather is back on at a new location! The program is the same: We’ll provide a short introduction on growing native plants from seed and demonstrate how to make a “greenhouse” from a milk jug. Then, it’s your turn! If possible, bring a utility knife or electric drill to make drainage holes in your container. Bring extra milk jugs or other clear bottles if you want to start multiple species. We will supply everything else, including the seeds.

The St. Joe County Public Library Community Learning Center is more easily accessed from the Wayne St. entrance and we advise parking on that side of the building. You will have to take the elevator to get to CLASSROOM D.

The seed species* we will have available include: 

Big bluestem     (Andropogon gerardii)

Black-eyed Susan     (Rudbeckia hirta)

Blue Mistflower     (Conoclinium coelestinum)

Blue vervein     (Verbena hastata)

Brown-eyed Susan     (Rudbeckia triloba)

Butteflyweed     (Asclepias tuberosa)

Common boneset     (Eupatorium perfoliatum)

Common milkweed     (Asclepias syriaca)

Culver’s root     (Veronicastrum virginicum)

Dense blazing star     (Liatris spicata)

Foxglove beardtongue     (Penstemon digitalis)

Heartleaved aster     (Symphyotrichum cordifolium)

Hoary vervain     (Verbena stricta)

Ironweed     (Veronia missurica)

Joe pye weed     (Eupatorium maculatum)

Purple coneflower     (Echinacea purpurea)

Purple prairie clover    (Dale purpurea)

Golden alexander     (Zizia aurea)

Grass-leaved goldenrod     (Euthamia graminifolia)

Indian grass     (Sorghastrum nutans)

Little bluestem     (Schizachyrium scoparium)

Mountain mint     (Pycnanthemum virginianum)

New England aster     (Symphyotrichum novae-angliae)

Nodding Onion     (Allium cernuum)

Queen of the prairie     (Filipendula rubra)

Rose milkweed     (Asclepias incarnata)

Rattlesnake master     (Eryngium yuccifolium)

Round-headed bush clover     (Lespedeza capitata)

Sand coreopsis     (Coreopsis lanceolata)

Showy goldenrod     (Solidago speciosa)

Spotted bee balm (Horsemint)     (Monarda fistulosa)

Stiff goldenrod     (Oligoneuron rigidum)

Switchgrass     (Panicum virgatum)

Tall coreopsis     (Coreopsis tripteris)

White indigo     (Baptisia alba)

White snakeroot     (Ageratina altissima)

Wild bergamot (Bee balm)     (Monarda punctata)

Wild petunia     (Ruellia humilis)

Wild senna     (Senna hebecarpa)

Yellow coneflower     (Ratibida pinnata)

Zig-zag goldenrod     (Solidago flexicaulis)

*Seeds provided at this event have been collected by South Bend Wild Ones volunteers from restoration gardens and aren't guaranteed to be me 100% genotyped to our area. If you are attempting to grow plants that are native strictly to your county, please do your own research to ensure the seed we are providing fits this criteria. 

We'll be joined by local Naturalist, Jan McGowan, who will talk about how we can support our local birds through the winter season. 

Wild Ones member, Dave Dornberg, will be presenting a special session to help you get your small garden tools ready for the upcoming spring season. He will be demonstrating the technique for you to observe. After his demonstration, you will have the chance to practice sharpening your tools while receiving guidance from Dave to ensure you are doing it correctly and safely. NOTE: Dave will not be doing any tool sharpening for you.

To get ready for the session, Dave has provided a list of recommended items and where you can purchase them. Additionally, there are two great YouTube tutorial videos that show using the flat file and Corona carbide tool. Don't forget to bring a pair of gloves, safety glasses, and either one hand pruner or one lopper of your choice. You will also need two flat files or the Corona tool.

Dave Dornberg recently retired after nearly 40 years as an IT professional. He has a passion for nature photography, organic vegetable gardening with 14 raised beds and practices regenerative soil techniques. He actively supports organizations such as the National Audubon Society, The Nature Conservancy, Shirley Heinze Land Trust and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s Project FeederWatch. He has sharpened kitchen knives and garden tools as long as he has gardened and now enjoys sharing that knowledge with fellow gardeners.

Follow our website's event page for the PDF list, and for In-Person RSVPs .

AJ Popovic, Northwest Indiana Regional Specialist for the State of  Indiana Cooperative Invasives  Management (SICIM), will join us to discuss this important topic.