How to create your butterfly garden

Getting started might feel like a challenge, but there are many helpful resources out there. According to the University of Maryland, you don’t need a large yard or budget, and even a few plants will help! We encourage you to start small to get the ball rolling, and be motivated by Marta’s memory to do some good and create some beauty.

• University of Maryland Extension - Pollinator Gardens

  • Helpful how-to guidance, with additional resources

• Maryland Native Plant Society - Native Plant Nurseries

  • Guide to plant nurseries in the region specializing in local ecotype native plants. A few include:

    • Chesapeake Natives - located in Rosaryville State Park, Upper Marlboro, MD

    • Seeds of Change Nursery of Howard Ecoworks - native plant nursery offering garden design assistance in Glenwood, MD

    • Bona Terra - DC-area native plant nursery offering remote garden design service

• Unity Gardens - offers grants to enable non-profits in Anne Arundel County to plant pollinator-friendly gardens, and how-to information

  • Including a list of keystone species in the Anne Arundel County, MD region:  Ecoregion 8 Keystone Species

• Most retail plant nurseries also sell native plants (although they are likely to be genetically modified, not local ecotypes) — but here at Marta’s Gardens, we do not let perfect be the enemy of the good