Support a Healthy James: Plant Native This Fall!
Adding regionally native plants to gardens and landscapes in your yard is an easy river-friendly conservation practice that can be implemented at home. Regionally native plants incorporated into rain gardens and conservation landscaping projects reduce stormwater runoff leaving your yard.
Many plant species prevalent in landscapes are not native and even invasive to our part of the world. Non-native and invasive plant species generally offer little ecological value and can outcompete native plant species. Regionally native plant species are adapted to our local climate and provide habitat for wildlife that make gardening a joy.
If you are interested in learning about regionally native plants and how to incorporate them in your planting plans this spring, join us at one of the following native plants workshops offered by the James River Association.
Native Plants Workshop at Sneed’s Nursery in Richmond
Date & Time: Saturday, September 26, 2026 at 10:30 am
Location: Sneed’s Nursery, 8756 W. Huguenot Road, Richmond, VA
Fee: Free
Join the James River Association at Sneed’s Nursery in Richmond on Saturday, September 26, at 10:30 am for a workshop about native plants. Participants will learn about the benefits of native plants, how they support local wildlife, and how to incorporate them into planting plans this fall. Registration for this workshop is free and comes with a Plant RVA Natives guide and a regionally native plant provided by Sneed’s Nursery. Click here for more information.
Native Plants Workshop at Lower James River Education Center in Williamsburg
Date & Time: Saturday, September 26, 2026 at 11:00 am
Location: Lower James River Center, 1335 Colonial Parkway, Williamsburg, VA
Fee: Free
Join the James River Association at the Lower James River Center in Williamsburg on Saturday, September 26, at 11:00 am for a workshop about native plants. Participants will learn about the benefits of native plants, how they support local wildlife, and how to incorporate them into planting plans this fall. Registration for this workshop is free and comes with a Plant Hampton Roads Natives guide and a regionally native plant. Click here for more information.
Native Plants Workshop at Upper James River Center in Amherst County
Date & Time: Tuesday, October 13, 2026 at 7:00 pm
Location: Upper James River Center, 150 Rocky Hill Road, Madison Heights, VA
Fee: Free
Join the James River Association at the Upper James River Center in Amherst County on Tuesday, October 13, at 7:00 pm for a workshop about native plants. Participants will learn about the benefits of native plants, how they support local wildlife, and how to incorporate them into planting plans this fall. Registration for this workshop is free and comes with a regionally native plant. Click here for more information.
Did you know using regionally native plants and removing invasive plants from gardens and landscapes could qualify you for the James River Association’s River Hero Homes program! Click here to learn more.
Did you know using regionally native plants and removing invasive plants from gardens and landscapes could qualify you for the James River Association’s River Hero Homes program!
River Hero Homes is a community of stewards that realize the first step to a cleaner James River starts at home. Residents of the James River’s 10,000 square-mile watershed take a pledge and commit to adopting a minimum of three of the five following river-friendly conservation actions that reduce stormwater runoff.
- Properly dispose of waste. Pick up trash in your community and properly dispose of waste, including pet waste, to reduce pollution.
- Use native plants. Use regionally native plants and remove invasive plants in gardens and landscapes, including riparian buffers and living shorelines.
- Reduce herbicide and pesticide use. Reduce or eliminate herbicide and pesticide use to promote a healthy ecosystem.
- Reduce fertilizer use. Reduce or eliminate the use of lawn fertilizers to reduce nutrient pollution entering our waterways and encourage healthy soil by using compost.
- Conserve water. Reduce household water use and consider installing a rain barrel to harvest rainwater for watering.
River Hero Homes would not be possible without generous support from Altria and DuPont Clear into the Future. Their support allows the James River Association to promote conservation and stewardship practices that support a healthy James River.