We are nearing the end of the summer. It's almost fall planting time. And the Tennessee Valley Chapter of Wild Ones has lots of classes, free programs and other events planned!

Scroll below to see details about the following:

• August 24 - Members-Only Hike: Sand Mountain & Town Creek of Alabama
• September 8 - Golden Aster Paddle on the Middle Ocoee
• September 9 - Free public program - Fall Native Plant Seed Swap and Lorrie Otto Birthday Celebration, followed by Jump Starting Your Native Plant Garden with Annuals and Groundcovers
• September 14 - Certificate in Native Plants Class: Propagating Native Plants with Seeds
• September 16 - Free "Gardening with Native Plants" Class - What Do I Plant? - Mountain Gardens
• September 21 - Members Only: Landscapes in Progress"
• September 28 - Members-Only Hike: Catoosa Wildlife Management Area Savannah Project and Devil's Breakfast Table at Daddy's Creek
• September 30 - Free "Gardening with Native Plants" Class - Caring for Native Plant Gardens
• October 5 - Fall Native Plant Sale
• October 12 - Certificate in Native Plants Class: Identification of Native Grasses

Members Only Hike:

Sand Mountain and Town Creek of Alabama

Hike Leader: Zach Irick

Saturday, August 24, 2024

8:15 a.m. – 12:15 p.m. EDT

Oak Grove, AL

Free for Wild Ones Members only

Member hikes are a great way to learn about native plants! Southeastern Grasslands Institute ecologist/botanist Zach Irick will lead an educational tour of the native wildflowers, shrubs and trees of Town Creek as it courses over Sand Mountain in N.E. Alabama. You will come away with ideas for natural rock gardens and rain garden designs, siting and growth patterns, as well as identification of many native plants that are often available for the landscape.

Not a member? Join us!

Special Event:

See One of Nature’s Rarest Native Plants

on a Raft Trip on the Middle Ocoee River

Saturday, September 8, 2024

2:00 p.m. EDT

Ocoee, TN

Wild Ones members and any others who appreciate viewing native plants combined with a river rapids adventure along the imperiled Ocoee riverscour ecosystem are invited to join Lisa Lemza (past President of Tennessee Valley Wild Ones) and expert paddlers Mike Shillinger and Emily Smoot for a memorable guided raft trip on the Middle Ocoee River to see Ruth’s Golden Aster (Pityopsis ruthii), one of the world’s rarest native plants. Ruth’s Golden Aster, which grows on just a few boulders in the Middle Ocoee and Hiwassee Gorge, with several in the middle of the river, can only be seen from the water. It will be in bloom at this time. 

Native Plant Seed Swap

Monday, September 9, 2024

5:30 p.m. EDT (before our public monthly meeting)

Joseph Glasscock Community Center

3620 Tom Weathers Dr, Red Bank, TN

Free and Open to the Public

Lorrie Otto (1919 – 2010) is the founder of the natural landscaping movement and taught others to view natural landscaping as a public good rather than as a health hazard. She was the founding inspiration for Wild Ones – Native Plants, Natural Landscaping. Lorrie often used the words of Chief Seattle when she spoke: “We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, but rather borrow it from our descendants.” We're celebrating Lorrie's birthday with a Native Plant Seed Swap that's open to all!

Free Public Program:

Jump Starting Your Native Plant Garden

with Annuals and Groundcovers

with Sally Wencel

Monday, September 9, 2024

6:00 p.m. EDT

Note new location for 2nd Monday program!

Joseph Glasscock Community Center

3620 Tom Weathers Dr, Red Bank, TN

FREE and Open to the Public

The mantra “sleep, creep and leap” is a good description for the three growing seasons it can take for your native perennials to put on a show in your garden. In the meantime, you can get off to a quicker start using native annuals and groundcovers to provide cover, color, and pollen and nectar in your new planting areas.

Certificate in Native Plants Class: Propagating Native Plants with Seeds

Instructor: Henning Von Schmeling

Saturday, September 14, 2024

9:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. EDT

Reflection Riding Arboretum & Nature Center

400 Garden Road, Chattanooga TN

In this class, you'll learn about how to collect, clean, store and plant seeds of native plants, as well as gain an understanding about seeds and germination.

This is an ELECTIVE class for the Certificate in Native Plants. You do not need to be working toward the Certificate in Native Plants to register for this class.

$40 for Wild Ones members, $50 for non-members

+ $5 charge for supplies

Gardening with Native Plants Class:

What Do I Plant? - Mountain Gardens

with Ann Brown & Nora Bernhardt

Monday, September 16, 2024

6:00 – 8:00 pm EDT

green|spaces

63 E. Main St., Chattanooga TN

Free and Open to the Public

Selection and layering of native plants is important for a thriving ecosystem in mountain gardens. Strategies for creating and managing those gardens in both sunny and woodland conditions will be discussed. Plant lists will be provided.

Members-Only Program:

Landscapes in Progress



Saturday, September 21, 2024

Missionary Ridge & East Ridge

Free for Wild Ones Members & Family Only

Landscapes in Progress events were designed as a way for our members to learn more about native plant gardening from the experiences of other members. Like all of our gardens, these gardens are "in progress." They do not have to be perfect, although there are always some really amazing and beautiful things to see! We have found that these garden visits are a great way to learn about a variety of native plants and the conditions in which they thrive. Join members of the Tennessee Valley Chapter of Wild Ones for a tour of two of our members' gardens. 

Not a member? Join us!

Members Only Hike:

Catoosa Wildlife Management Area Savanna Project &

Devil's Breakfast Table at Daddy's Creek

Hike Leader: Zach Irick

Saturday, September 28, 2024

8:15 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. (est.), including drive time from Soddy Daily

Northeast of Crossville TN

Free for Wild Ones Members only

Southeastern Grasslands Institute ecologist/botanist Zach Irick will lead an educational tour of the native savanna and creekside scour grasslands. We’ll view nearly every genus of the aster family in their prime. Come explore with us for a view of native grasses, fall wildflowers, shrubs and trees of the WMA which is bordered by two scenic waterways - the Obed Wild and Scenic River and its tributary, Daddy’s Creek. You’ll also hear bobwhite, see migratory birds, numerous butterfly and native bee species and will come away with ideas for savanna and prairie plantings, rock garden and rain garden designs, natural growth patterns, as well as identification of many native plants that are often available for the landscape. 

Registration will be open soon. Please check our website.



Not a member? Join us!

Gardening with Native Plants Class:

Caring for Native Plant Gardens

with Lyn Rutherford

Monday, September 30, 2024

5:00 – 7:00 pm EDT

Warner Park

1254 E. 3rd St., Chattanooga TN

Meetup in the parking area between the recycling center and the Community Fitness Center

Free and open to the public

Caring for your garden as it grows and changes over time is the best part! In this class we will discuss basics of sustainable landscape care like optimizing maintenance activities for wildlife support, and reducing air and water pollution. There are key differences between managing a native plant garden and a conventional landscape, so let’s get into it.

Fall Plant Sale: SAVE THE DATE!

Saturday, October 5, 2025

10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.

Grace Episcopal Church, 20 Belvoir Ave., Chattanooga TN

Free and Open to the Public

Fall — and the best time to plant many of our natives — is just around the corner. 

And so the Tennessee Valley Wild Ones Fall Plant Sale! 

During the sale, we’ll also be honoring our newest members, along with the recent Certificate in Native Plants graduates who’ve worked hard to complete their coursework and volunteer hours.

So SAVE THE DATE and make plans to join us. More details are coming soon!



Certificate in Native Plants Class:

Identification of Native Grasses

Instructor: Botanist/Ecologist Gary Kauffman

Saturday, October 12, 2024

9:00 a.m. -12:30 p.m.

Tennessee Aquarium Conservation Institute

175 Baylor School Rd, Chattanooga TN

Join botanist/ecologist Gary Kauffman for a hands-on native grasses workshop highlighting grass identification and grassland communities. We’ll learn to use a Southern Appalachian grasses key derived from Weakley’s Flora of the Southeastern U.S. and other identification tools, look at samples of common native grasses, and learn a bit about grassland communities and the wildlife they support. You should come away from the workshop able to use the key to Poaceae (grasses) groups and genera, recognize a dozen common grasses by sight, and have ample resources to hone your grass skills.

This is an ELECTIVE class for the Certificate in Native Plants. You do not need to be working toward the Certificate in Native Plants to register for this class.

$40 for Wild Ones members, $50 for non-members

UPCOMING CALENDAR OF EVENTS

To view all upcoming programs, classes, hikes and members-only events presented by the Tennessee Valley Chapter of Wild Ones, click below:

JOIN WILD ONES

Becoming a Wild Ones member shows your commitment to the native plant movement and is a great way to connect with a helpful and knowledgeable native plant community that will prove invaluable in your native garden journey!

Benefits of a Wild Ones membership include:

• Access to the current electronic issue of the quarterly Wild Ones Journal
• Invitations to workshops, garden tours, seed exchanges, plants sales, and stewardship project
• Discounts for partner educational webinars such as NDAL, etc. and Wild Ones chapter programs
• Participation in an annual national photo contest
• Access to the Wild Ones Member Center for learning resources
• Participation in Wild for Monarchs and Native Garden recognition programs
• Involvement in citizen science and networking with conservation partners
• Receiving Wild Ones National e-Newsletters
• Invitation to Wild Ones' private Facebook discussion group and the national Wild Ones Annual Member Meeting
• Networking opportunities and camaraderie with like-minded people who care about native plants and our planet

Additional benefits for members of the Tennessee Valley chapter:



• Discounted admission to all Certificate in Native Plants classes year-round.
• Free admission at members-only programs, including local and regional guided hikes, garden visits (Landscapes in Progress), the annual meeting, an annual plant swap, and other member social events.
• Annual Welcome Party and Orientation for new members.
• Monthly email Member Update, with news about chapter activities.
• All members of the family who live at the same address are entitled to member benefits!

Your membership dollars help forward our mission of promoting the restoration of native landscapes by allowing us to:

• Provide free, educational resources and learning opportunities that are open to the public from respected experts like Wild Ones Honorary Directors Doug Tallamy, Neil Diboll, Heather Holm and Donna VanBuecken
• Support the efforts of over 65 local Wild Ones chapters in 23 states
• Publish a quarterly, award-winning, online journal featuring current native plant information and resources
• Share free, professionally-designed native garden templates for multiple regions in the United States.

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