Sacred Grounds Project

Why Plant Native

Enjoy a Beautiful Landscape

The many textures, colors and habits of native plants can be combined in attractive designs. Choose a natural-looking or more formal style. Once established, native plants reduce the time and money on landscape maintenance.

Preserve Maryland’s Biodiversity

Many native bees provide their nests with pollen from flowering native plants, while butterflies and moths eat native species at the larval stage. Birds rely on an abundance of caterpillars from butterflies and moths to feed their young. Going native supports this whole food web.

Improve Water Quality and Reduce Your Carbon Footprint

Conventional gardens often employ fertilizers, pesticides, supplemental water and fossil-fuel-using machinery – resulting in poor soil health, erosion and polluted storm water runoff. In addition to supporting the whole food web, native plants require less maintenance and can be used to filter storm water runoff. In this way, streams and rivers will be cleaner.

You Can Make a Difference

• Private residential property makes up approximately one-third of the urban landscape and studies show that the impact of wildlife gardening is substantial.
• In 1972, US Forest Service researchers published results of the “Backyard Project,” a study showing that the tools wildlife managers use to support wildlife (providing food, water, cover, and places to raise young) also work on a smaller scale in backyards by homeowners,
• Research was conducted as part of an ambitious four-year study American Residential Macrosystem: Yard Futures, funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF). Preliminary results from this ongoing nationwide study show that yards containing wildlife-friendly native plants in large metropolitan areas collectively draw more species of birds and other wildlife than traditional lawns. Watch a presentation of this research at Wildlife-friendly Yards , part of the National Wildlife Federation web site.
• We need more wildlife-friendly yards to create the amount of habitat necessary to support most of our threatened native wildlife. Read the “Landscaping Ideas”, below, for resources and inspiration for your garden.
• Read about Attracting birds to your garden

Read More

About Sacred Grounds Project

Butterfly

The Sacred Grounds project, facilitated by the National Wildlife Federation, promotes planting native plants at home and at places of worship. Oseh Shalom is participating in the second year of the project. This program aims to educate faith communities about the importance of, and how to care for, our local waterways and environment by planting native plants. NWF secured a grant from the Chesapeake Bay Trust and Prince George’s County to conduct this project.

Studies prove that adding native plants to our Oseh Shalom campus and our homes helps local waterways and wildlife and reduces lawn maintenance.  Native plants need less care because they are more resilient. Native plants reduce storm water runoff and improve the quality and quantity of water heading to the Patuxent River and Chesapeake Bay watersheds. Native plants also provide food for birds and butterflies.

We encourage everyone to plant native plants at Oseh Shalom and in their personal spaces, home, yard, or containers. Together, by caring for creation, Sacred Grounds will enable us to ensure our children and our community have a clean and safe environment well into the future.

Contact Sue Burger or Linda Solomon at sacred.grounds@oseh-shalom.org if you have any questions.

Pledge to Plant Native

Humming Bird

Thank you for a successful 2025 Native Planting Hope plant-giveaway. We hope your plants are thriving in their new home. Send us pictures!

 65 Pledges as of May 4, 2025

Events and Learning Opportunities

• Native Plant Sign for sale, $10. Contact sacred.grounds@oseh-shalom.org to purchase a sign. Pay using this form
• 

  Native Plants Help the Environment

  NWF Garden Tour in Laurel MD on Sunday, July 20, 4-6 pm . Please Register for the event. The tour includes visits to 4-5 homes!

Landscaping Ideas

Interested in planting a Maryland Native tree? Plant one of these native trees:

Red Bud Tree in bloom

• White Oak
• Black Cherry
• Red Bud
• Dogwood
• Serviceberry
• Willow Oak
• Maryland Government Tree List
• U of MD Extension recommended native plants and trees
• MD Dept of Natural Resources Recommended Tree list

Pictures of 9 native flowering plants

Interested in Planting Maryland native perennial flowers?  Plant one of these native plants:

• Goldenrod
• Asters
• Milkweed
• Cone Flowers
• Sun Flowers (Helianthus)
• Joe Pye Weed (Eupatorium)
• Black Eyed Susan
• Wild Flowers in Focus
• Deer resistant plants: U of Maryland Extension

More Resources that list Maryland Native Flowers, Shrubs and Trees

• Maryland Native Plant Society publishes Landscaping with Native Plants
• US Fish and Wildlife Service publishes Native Plants for Wildlife Habitat and Conservation Landscaping
• Maryland Native Plants
• NWF Garden for Wildlife
• NWF native plant finder
• And more

Gardening Design ideas:

• Creating a wildlife garden that neighbors will like
• Live Green Howard pollinator garden templates and resources
• Live Green Howard landscaping
• Native Plant Pollinator Garden Templates
• Learn about Create a Conservation Landscape and Montgomery County landscape design Templates
• Montgomery County
• NWF Wildlife Garden Design
• Rain Gardens and Storm water Gardens
  • NWF Storm water Guidance
  • Howard County Rain Garden via CleanScapes | Howard County Storm water (cleanwaterhoward.com)
  • Montgomery County Rainscapes (click “Rewards Rebates” under “Get Started” for
    homes and “Congregations” under “RainScapes Communities” for congregations)
    The RainScapes Rewards Rebate Program of Montgomery County, MD offers rebates to property owners and faith communities who install RainScapes techniques such as rain gardens, rain barrels,
    conservation landscaping and other approved projects that help control storm water. Rebates and Rain Garden Information
  • Montgomery County Rain Garden Design Templates and Stormwater Garden Templates
  • Prince George’s County Rain Check program for homes & for congregations
    The Rain Check Rebate Program of Prince George’s County, MD offers rebate incentives to homeowners, businesses, and others to install practices that will improve storm water runoff quality, reduce pollution, and improve local stream and river health
  • Design a Rain Garden
• Labeling plants:
  • The importance of labeling native plants
  • Do it yourself plant labels

Learn More/Resources

Garden path with Native plants

On the Web

• National Wildlife Federation (NWF) Sacred Grounds Program
  • NWF Sacred Grounds Garden-for-Wildlife
  • NWF work and programs
• Laurel For the Patuxent promotes environmental stewardship in Laurel, MD.
• University of MD Extension—Native Plants
• Howard County:
  • Rebate to install a Rain Garden via CleanScapes | Howard County Stormwater (cleanwaterhoward.com)
  • Lauren’s Nursery supports CleanScapes
  • LiveGreen Tree Programs provides free trees.
  • LiveGreen Howard County – Planting Natives
• Maryland Native Plant Society
• US Fish and Wildlife Service
• Patuxent Wildlife Refuge
• Audubon Native Plants Database (search by zip code!)
• Chesapeake Natives, Inc.
• Here is the Homegrown National Park map An interactive map that shows where native pollinator-friendly planting is happening.

Videos

• “Yes, You CAN Make a Difference Planting Natives 2023”.  View the presentation on YouTube here.

• “Why Plant Native Webinar 2022” hosted by the NWF. View the video on YouTube

• “How-to Plan Native Webinar 2022” hosted by the NWF. View the recording here
• View  You Built It and They Came: The Science Supporting Your Wildlife Habitat Garden

Facebook:

• Maryland Native Plant Society Discussion Group
• Maryland Area Gardening for the Environmentally Conscious

Petitions:

• Petition Brookside Gardens to eliminate invasive species

Local Native Plant Nurseries

Let us know about other Nurseries promoting native plants. Thanks, in advance.

• List of Maryland Nurseries selling native plants (from MD Native Plant Society)
• NWF sells native plants Garden for Wildlife
• Howard County
  • Lauren’s Garden and Nursery
  • Lauren’s Garden Service Store
  • Howard EcoWorks home page
  • Howard EcoWorks Store
• Montgomery County
  • Stadler’s Nursery
  • White’s Nursery
• Prince George’s County
  • Chesapeake Natives, Inc
  • Ecoasis Garden Center
  • Patuxent Nursery – Bowie, MD;
• Washington, D.C.
  • Izel Plants

Caring for Creation: Bird Houses and Bird Feeders

• Overview of different Bird Feeders https://feederwatch.org/learn/feeding-birds/
• Video: How to attract Birds to Your Yard
• Learn about hummingbirds and how to attract them to your yard: hummingbirds
• Backyard Naturalist – The Backyard Naturalist is a store located in Olney. They specialize in encouraging the public to put out proper bird feeders and houses that support birds.

• • https://thebackyardnaturalist.com/wordpress/
  • How to support birds in our backyards: https://thebackyardnaturalist.com/wordpress/backyard-habitat-birds/
  • Bird houses: https://thebackyardnaturalist.com/wordpress/portfolio-items/wild-bird-houses-2/
• Bottle Store Bird Feeders and Tips: https://www.bottlestore.com/make-your-own-plastic-bottle-bird-feeder
• The Cornell Lab https://feederwatch.org/learn/feeding-birds/
• Lowes – Bird Feeders, Food, and Care https://www.lowes.com/n/how-to/bird-watch-build-a-bird-feeder