Even the most experienced native gardeners have key resources they consult when selecting plants and designing vibrant wildlife gardens. Books, guides and plant lists are doubly important for those just starting out. This month, I’m pleased to bring you not one, but two new resources you can read today, for free.
The first is the new “Maryland Native Plant Guide for the Piedmont Region,” published by the UMD Extension’s Maryland Native Plants Program. It’s the first of three volumes, with guides for the coastal plain and mountain ecoregions coming out in 2026 and 2027, respectively.
This guide is long-awaited, because as far as I know, we have never had a comprehensive book of Maryland native plants designed for residential gardeners. In the past, when I wanted to plan a new garden, I had to comb through several regional guides (sometimes containing conflicting or incorrect information) and then narrow down to whether each plant was native to Maryland. This new guide only lists plants native to the Maryland piedmont ecoregion (essentially the area between I-95 and the Appalachian Mountains) and includes only those plants appropriate for residential gardens.
The guide lists quite a few useful details for each plant, including a vivid picture and both the Latin name and common name. The plant’s preferences for light, moisture and soil conditions are listed to help you choose appropriate planting areas. Information about height, bloom color and bloom period make it easier to integrate with other plants in the same bed. The guide includes a short narrative description of each plant, calling out interesting features and important facts. Keystone plants, those that have an outsized benefit to wildlife, are designated with a star, and other icons tell which types of animals each plant supports.
Beyond this list of over 300 plants, the book also contains sections on just about every native gardening subject. Many amazing gardeners in our community contributed topical articles, such as Nancy Lawson’s article on planting what she calls assertive natives to combat invasive plant species. There are also numerous species lists that group plants by preferred conditions such as deer resistance or garden function, like plants most appropriate for a hedgerow. All of these should help jump start any new garden project.
The book is gorgeous, too. Maryland graphic designer Amanda Wray wrapped each section in beautiful colors and shapes, making it more like a magazine than a state-government publication. I’m particularly looking forward to getting a spiral bound copy, which will make it easy to share the pictures and charts when I’m conducting garden consultations.
I’m also excited to share that the Bay-Wise program has been completely revised, putting native plants at the center of almost every aspect. If you haven’t heard of it before, Bay-Wise is the Master Gardener program that helps Marylanders choose outdoor practices that benefit wildlife, conserve resources and protect the Chesapeake Bay. After more than 25 years of existence, Bay-Wise has released a brand new booklet that takes interested residents through a huge variety of practices they can adopt in exchange for points that bring them closer to the program‘s target score. Once you’ve met that goal, you can ask the program to arrange a site visit to certify your property, point out additional opportunities you might pursue and present you with that all-important Bay-Wise garden sign.
I particularly like that the new booklet has a supplemental link next to each practice, so participants can immediately start learning more about topics they’re interested in pursuing. For instance, the “Conduct soil tests” practice has a link to the extension’s excellent video about collecting soil samples for laboratory analysis.
Interested in either of these resources? You can find a PDF of the “Maryland Native Plant Guide for the Piedmont Region” on the Maryland Native Plant Society website (mdflora.org/piedmont). The society will also be offering print copies for sale in the next few months.
You can find the new Bay-Wise program booklet, Maryland Living Landscapes Metric, on the Bay-Wise website (go.umd.edu/get-bay-wise) along with information about contacting your county’s Bay-Wise committee to arrange a visit.
These amazing new resources exist because both institutional and community support for native gardening has reached the chambers of the Maryland General Assembly. New laws like the one that started the Maryland Native Plants Program and funding measures to hire new, permanent staff at the UMD Extension and the Maryland Department of Agriculture are the only reasons either of these books exist. I have seen firsthand how grassroots calls for green policies have turned into programs that measurably impact local ecology. When the next Maryland General Assembly kicks off in January, I encourage everyone to talk to their state representatives about eco-friendly bills they support.