Will Serge is looking forward to the plant swap at LRNow’s Native Spring Fling on Saturday because he likes the idea of feeling like he is part of a community working towards the common goal of growing native plants in the garden.

Will, a landscape architect with WPL, just happened upon the plant swap when he attended our Native Spring Fling event last year and he was pleasantly surprised.

“I was impressed by the variety and amount of available species,” Will said. “And having missed out last year, it inspired me to try and sow some seeds I gathered this fall, in hopes of having viable plugs to offer up at this year’s event!”

With plants in hand, he will be there Saturday, rain or shine. The event is from 9 a.m. to noon at LRNow’s office at 3712 Holland Road.

LRNow will add almost 100 native plants from its native garden to the swap too. In addition to the plant swap, exhibitors include Friends of Live Oaks, Bee City USA, Southern Branch Nursery, Bartlett Tree Experts, Tidewater Compost, Virginia Beach Public Library, Evergreen, and more.

Will hopes to bring some Monarda, among other plants, that he grew from last year’s seeds to the plant swap. He also hopes to dig up some little blue stem that self-seeded in his garden, he said. He would like to swap them out for cooler-season early natives or late-season native bloomers to supplement his garden.

“But I really am open to any new native plants,” Will said.

“Planting more natives truly is the goal of the whole event,” said Pearl Home Manager Terri Gorman, who is in charge of the Native Spring Fling.

In addition to only native plants for the garden, house plants, herb and veggie seedlings and seeds will be part of the swap, Terri added. Southern Branch Nursery also will have blooming native garden plants for sale and Bartlett Tree Experts will give away free native tree seedlings.

Bee City USA will have a bin of dried leaves where kids can search for pretend insects and pollinators to help understand the concept that pollinators need a safe haven in which to spend the winter. Bee City also will give away free honey sticks for a taste along with offering educational materials, coloring sheets and word searches for kids.

There will be something for everybody,” Terri said, “but a lot for the native plant lovers!”