The Hernando Chapter of the Florida Native Plant Society has teamed with the Spring Hill Garden Club to bring a Florida Native Plant Demonstration Garden to the public. On Saturday, Oct 23, we are hosting an open-house style event to commemorate Florida Native Plant Month and share the special features of our garden. The public is invited.

Florida Native Plant Demonstration Oct. 23 at Nature Coast Botanical Gardens

Please come to the Nature Coast Botanical Garden, 1489 Parker Avenue, Spring Hill, FL 34606 (map) any time from 9:00 AM-1:00 PM, October 23.  Look for signs to direct you to the Native Plant Garden within the larger botanical garden area.

Learn How to Help Local Pollinators by Gardening with Native Plants

The populations of many pollinators have been declining and major factors for this include the loss of habitat and the plants that they depend on for food. The Hernando Chapter received a Viva Florida Grant from the Florida Wildflower Foundation in 2020. With this funding, they have planted sections of the Native Plant Garden with Florida wildflowers that help nurture our native pollinator populations – the wings in our garden. This event will showcase wildflowers you can plant in your yard to attract butterflies, bees, and other pollinators.

Several areas of the Native Plant Garden feature plant species found growing in the sandhill and hammock ecosystems of Hernando County.  At this event, you’ll see how we can bring the natural beauty of the Nature Coast into our yards by planting native plants and explore what may work best for the conditions on your site.

One of the major issues impacting Hernando County’s native plant populations is the encroachment of exotic invasive plant species.  In the garden, a constant battle is being waged by chapter volunteers to control several of these invasive plants.  At this event, we will highlight several of these nasty invasive plants so that everyone can identify them and start to control them in their yards as well as natural areas.

This will be an open-house style event with speakers located at separate stations so that you can move through at your own pace.  There is ample space within the garden to allow for social distancing.