Native Plant Society of New Jersey - Jersey Shore Chapter

06/06/2026

Join us on Saturday, June 13th from 10:00 am to Noon for a tour of the native plant gardens at Georgian Court University in Lakewood.

Registration is required for this event. Directions about where to enter the campus, park, and meet will be sent to those who register. Register here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSepplH3tLJWB1mXDpAGmtjCoS1Fe5SsHlg_EVWHsQliPMF4bA/viewform

Dr. Michael Gross, Professor of Biology and Director of the Sister Mary Grace Burns Arboretum, will lead us on a tour of several native plant gardens on the campus. We'll visit three fenced native perennial gardens, four mostly native pollinator gardens, and a recently renovated rain garden. These gardens cover a range of habitats in terms of moisture and light conditions. We'll also visit a Paw Paw grove and the native holly and Clethra collections on campus.

05/28/2026

The Friends of Island Beach State Park are looking for volunteers for National Trails Day on Saturday June 6th from 2pm-4pm

Volunteers will help to build two raised beds and plant a native garden at the Island Beach State Park Marina. Additional projects include clean up and pruning of the vegetation at Swimming Area 1. Please bring work gloves, sun hat, rakes, pruners, shovels, and water. Meet at Swimming Area 1, IBSP.

Register here: https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/ev/reg/cq5mrfn?source_id=82151bf7-3e08-4be3-8bee-f733d2adb18a&source_type=em&c=CoXe-CRZphgOw9UqAsseEFvs6OzwbRuBAdu35mQroNcfGXwe2wdwSQ==

05/18/2026

Join us for Potting Up & Swapping Seedlings, a hands-on native plant workshop at Jakes Branch County Park.

Did you participate in our Winter Sowing workshop in January, or have you been winter sowing native plants on your own? Bring your native seedlings and join us as we transplant them into individual pots and swap seedlings with one another.

Sunday, May 31
1:00 to 2:30 PM
Jakes Branch County Park Nature Center
1100 Double Trouble Road, Beachwood, NJ

We’ll supply 4-inch pots, labels, and potting mix. Please bring your winter sown native seedlings, a simple tool to help lift and separate seedlings, and trays or boxes to carry your potted plants home.

Registration is requested so we can plan supplies. Register here:
https://bit.ly/4dgsnpB

This is a great opportunity to learn, share plants, and help more native seedlings find homes in local gardens.

05/13/2026

Join us on May 23rd at 10 a.m. for our Native Plant Talk at Wild Birds Unlimited! Learn how native plants help support birds, butterflies, bees, and other pollinators while creating a healthier backyard habitat.
Please call the store or stop in to reserve your spot for this popular event.
In the meantime, we have a beautiful selection of native plants arriving daily, so stop by, visit us, and plant native this season!

05/12/2026

Join us for our next Wednesday Night Webinar via Zoom!
Natives for Container Gardening
Presented by Jeremie Fant
Director of Conservation at Negaunee Institute of the Chicago Botanic Garden
Wednesday, May 20, 2026
7:00 PM to 8:30 PM
Free to all! It will be recorded!
Register here: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_xwFJNWgbSg6RMGfGuxaPFg #/registration
Can we support pollinators and birds on our balconies and our tiny, on average, ¼ acre New Jersey yards? Jeremy Fant lives in Chicago, with only a 5 X 10’ balcony for gardening. He'll share container recommendations, plant partnerships, and how to create a thriving native plant container garden. You'll find out how to grow pollinator-friendly perennials successfully in the smallest spaces!
Jeremie Fant is Director of Conservation at Negaunee Institute of the Chicago Botanic Garden. Originally from Australia, Jeremie received his Degree in Horticulture from the University of Adelaide and then went on to get his Doctorate in Genetics at the University of Cambridge in the UK.

03/11/2026

Jakes Branch Plant & Seed Swap
Bring in your seed packets, garden collected seeds, tubers, cuttings, pups, seedlings, saplings, potted plants and more!
Entrance Fee: minimum 1 item
Feel free to bring more! The more you bring- the more you can swap! Indoor and outdoor seeds and plants welcome! Please have all items labeled. Bring only healthy, pest-free plants to the swap.This will be a “trade” style swap only, NO CASH SALES will be allowed.
LOCATION: Classroom, Jakes Branch County Park, Beachwood
DATE: Saturday, April 4.....10:30am – 12:30pm
FEE: Free, no registration required.....AGE: All

02/12/2026

At the heart of the NPSNJ Annual Meeting on March 7th is an exploration of critical intersections: between human intention and ecological spontaneity, biodiversity and community health, and catastrophic events and innovative recovery.

Our speakers challenge us to deepen our ecological literacy and cultivate practical, adaptable responses to the environmental disruptions shaping our era.

Register to join us in person or on zoom! https://npsnj.org/event/2026-annual-meeting/

01/27/2026

Watch this fantastic episode of Still Time for Joy that was filmed at our recent Winter Sowing Workshop at Jake's Branch Park! I'm looking forward to potting up and sharing all the wonderful native plants that will come up in our containers this spring! Please share this post and if you have questions about winter sowing, post them in the comments!

The Jersey Shore Chapter of the Native Plant Society of New Jersey held an informative workshop on Winter Sowing at Jakes Branch County Park in Beachwood, Ne...

01/14/2026

Join us for our next Wednesday Night Webinar via Zoom!

Pollinator Conservation in New Jersey

Presented by Robert Somes
Senior Zoologist with NJ Department of Environmental Protection - Fish and Wildlife - Endangered and Nongame Species Program

Wednesday, January 21, 2026
7:00 PM to 8:30 PM

Free to all!

Register Here! https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_oieZhrCkTmWDBNC1qfcTGA #/registration

Somes will present an overview of bee, butterfly, and pollinator biodiversity in New Jersey and will share some of the ongoing NJDEP conservation work related to these species. Many times the term pollinator conservation is used to lump together a wide variety of different species with very different life histories and habitat requirements. This creates challenges for conservation practitioners and land managers, which he will discuss. Additionally, Somes will share information about pollinator kits the state prepares for New Jersey gardeners.

Robert comes is a Senior Zoologist with NJ Department of Environmental Protection - Fish and Wildlife - Endangered and Nongame Species Program.

01/06/2026

Webinars: nearly full slate
Our Wednesday Webinar season is booked (just one fall slot left). Watch for topics that connect design, ecology, and practical native gardening. 🎥