Unity Gardens To Host Lecture Event

Unity Gardens is a small Anne Arundel County nonprofit that awards grants to community groups to plant native trees, shrubs and plants. The mission is “cultivating communities, one native garden at a time.” Last year, Unity Gardens awarded grants to 34 diverse community groups across Anne Arundel County for native perennials, shrubs and trees to control stormwater runoff and to create pollinator and rain gardens that foster thriving ecosystems.

In the Severna Park area alone, Unity Gardens has given grants for native plants to Severna Park Elementary School; Kinder Farm Park; Round Bay; West Severna Park; Woods Memorial Presbyterian Church; St. Martin's-in-the-Field; Severna Park United Methodist Church; Our Shepherd Lutheran Church; the Severna Park Community Center; the Severna Park Library; the Chartwell and Hollyberry garden clubs; the Chartwood, Colchester, Berrywood, Fair Oaks and Crain West communities; and several Scout projects.

Unity Gardens is holding a lecture event featuring Ryan Drake speaking on “Nature’s Blueprint: Designing for Resiliency with Native Plants.” Drake is the natural areas manager for the Morris Arboretum at the University of Pennsylvania. His talk will include practical approaches for home and institutional gardens, drought-tolerant gardening, and landscaping suggestions for watershed gardening, among other topics.

The talk will be held on February 22 from 9:30am to noon at St. Philip’s Episcopal Church on Bestgate Road in Annapolis. Tickets are $40 and the proceeds from the lecture will support the ongoing work of Unity Gardens with grants for community groups.

The spring grant cycle is open until March 1 for community groups in Anne Arundel County to apply for grants up to $3,000 for native plantings. Visit www.unitygardens.org for more information.