Earth Sangha's Plant Grant
The Earth Sangha's Plant Grant program is designed to reach grassroots, restoration projects that have no or limited funds and would otherwise not be able to engage in restoration. Sites are selected based on which bring the greatest ecological benefits (we use tree canopy data to identify disadvantaged communities with less than 40% canopy or have declining canopy) and social and environmental justice benefits (e.g. Title 1 schools).
Plant Grant Awardees are eligible to visit the Wild Plant Nursery for seasonal, one-day Plant Grant Donation Day. We will choose 10 awardees per "Plant Grant Donation Day", with the highest priority given to projects likely to have the greatest ecological and social benefits. All plants are native to Northern Virginia and grown by us from local-ecotype seed we collect locally, sustainably, and with permission from wild areas.
On each Plant Grant Donation Day, awardees can pick out plant donations from a pre-selected list of species:
- Public Parks (owned by a government agency): 50 herbaceous pots and 10 woodies
- Community Lands (churches and other faith communities, schools, libraries, HOAs, etc): 25 herbaceous pots and 5 woodies
Awardees are not required to purchase any plants to qualify for donations. Awardees may purchase additional plants on top of donated plants at a discounted rate. There is no limit to the number of times a project can reapply for seasonal donation days.
If you have any questions about the Earth Sangha's Plant Grant program, please email Katherine at info@earthsangha.org.
Our Spring Plant Grant Donation Day will be on Sunday, April 27th. Applications are due by Wednesday, April 16th at 5pm. We will contact grantees within one week of the deadline. If you have any questions about the Earth Sangha's Plant Grant program, please email Katherine at info@earthsangha.org.
Species available for Sunday, April 27th Donation Day:
We are focusing this Plant Grant cycle on supporting rain gardens and wet meadows/forests. (This includes problem areas like downspouts and areas prone to flooding.) All the species listed below are suitable for moist to wet spots with some that can take standing water.
Forbs (wildflowers): Asclepias incarnata (swamp milkweed), Chelone glabra (white turtlehead), Coreopsis tripteris (tall coreopsis), Doellingeria umbellata (flat-topped white aster), Euthamia lanceolata (hairy grass-leaved goldenrod), Eupatorium perfoliatum (common boneset), E. pilosum (rough boneset), Helianthus giganteus (giant sunflower), Rudbeckia laciniata (greenheaded coneflower), Teucrium canadense (Canada germander), Solidago rugosa (rough-stemmed goldenrod), Symphyotrichum novae-angliae (New England aster), Sym. prenanthoides (crooked stem aster), and Zizia aurea (golden Alexander)
Graminoids (grasses, sedges, and rushes): Andropogon virginicus (broomsedge), Carex debilis (white-edged sedge), C. lurida (sallow sedge), Coleataenia anceps (beaked panic grass), and Scirpus georgianus (Georgia bulrush)
Trees/shrubs: Alnus serrulata (smooth alder), Aronia arbutifolia (red chokeberry), Aronia melanocarpa (black chokeberry), Betula nigra (river birch), and Platanus occidentalis (sycamore)
