Bona Terra Seedling Tray Plant Grant

Plant Grant FAQs

Plant Grant Updates for 2026

Seedling Inventory

Volunteer for Plant Grant

Seedling Division Guide

Seedling Planning for Planting Schedule

How to Receive a Plant Grant

Go over our Seedling Division Guide. This guide will give you a good idea of what you can expect to do after your receive your seeded quarts as well as step-by-step instructions for dividing your seedlings. This guide contains a lot of useful information, even if you’re an experienced gardener. There’s also a helpful video!
Fill out a Plant Grant Application. Choose between an Individual Plant Grant or Group Plant Grant by using the buttons at the end of this section.
Receive your confirmation email with instructions on how to receive your seeded quarts. Please read it over carefully as there are multiple pick-up options.

General Information and Timeline for Plant Grant

Mid-February	Plant Grant application approvals begin
March	Community Pots start being available. Note: These early-season Community Pots are those that started from seed last year and have over-wintered. There are fewer seedlings in each container, but these seedlings are larger, hardier, and easier to divide than those grown from seed this year.
May-September	Community Pots with seedlings grown from seed this year start to become available. Note: Not all species will be available at the same time since each species is on a different growth cycle.
November	Plant Grant closes for the year

There is no time of the year that all of the species in Community Pots are available, so Plant Grantees are encouraged to get multiple rounds of Community Pots throughout the growing season. Our only requirement is that Plant Grantees send us photos of the seedlings that they have divided and planted before receiving more.

Individual Plant Grantees receive two Community Pots at a time (either both of the same species or one each of two different species), and Group Plant Grantees can receive as many Community Pots as their group members are able to divide, plant, and maintain.

Group Plant Grant

Individual Plant Grant

Group Plant Grant

Overview of Group Plant Grant

Plant Grant FAQs

Group Plant Grant Application Form

Plant Grant Updates for 2026

Seedling Inventory

Volunteer for Plant Grant

Seedling Division Guide

Seedling Planning for Planting Schedule

Seedling Request Form

Overview of Group Plant Grant

The Bona Terra Group Plant Grant is an integral part of our overarching plant grant initiatives. Together with the Individual Plant Grant, our in-house Seedling Giveaway events, and our forthcoming Community-Led Satellite Seedling events, the Group Plant Grant is a vital component of our mission to annually place one million seedlings into the hands of our community members and in turn, put these seedlings into the ground to support our ecosystems.

Eligibility Criteria

The Plant Grant program is open to a diverse range of applicants who share the common goal of enhancing their communities with native plants. Eligible groups include not-for-profit organizations, garden clubs, schools, scout troops, gatherings of friends and family, or any collective with a sincere desire to introduce native flora into the local landscape.

Community Outreach Aspect

To qualify for the Group Plant Grant, the project must incorporate an element of community outreach. This can take various forms, such as planting on public land, maintaining demonstration gardens accessible to the public, or having a plan to plant on more than six private properties. For example, a group of friends can canvas a neighborhood and offer to plant one or more plants at each residence.

Location Requirement

Applicants should be located within a 150-mile radius of Washington, D.C. to participate in the Plant Grant program.

Experience and Plant Care

While prior experience in seedling division and plant maintenance is not mandatory, it can increase the likelihood of receiving the full requested allocation of plants.

Accessible Native Plants

Our aim is to make native plants accessible to as many people as possible, thereby contributing to the revival of our imperiled ecosystems. For this purpose, we are offering community pots in quart-sized containers containing tens to hundreds of seedlings for your group to divide and plant. Our belief is that returning native plants to their rightful place within our ecosystems is a vital part of solutions to the current ecological crisis.

Primary Goal: Planting Native Species

The core objective of the Group Plant Grant is to empower your group or organization to personally plant native species in the ground. While you may have secondary goals for the granted plants, you must have a primary plan that results in your group personally planting the majority of the seedlings in the ground to qualify. If your group is unable to meet this requirement, for any reason, please look into our individual Plant Grant, which is more flexible on this matter. Should any surplus plants remain after your planned plantings, we kindly request that you share them within your community. If plants are distributed beyond your organization, please accompany them with species-specific notes and information about Bona Terra.

Discouraging Sale of Granted Plants

We discourage the sale of granted plants, as our primary mission is to enhance local ecosystems and make native plants accessible to all. By sharing the life creating qualities and value of native flora, we collectively contribute to a healthier, more sustainable environment.

Secondary goals

Your secondary goals should be centered around community outreach and getting free plants into the community. This can include, but is not limited to distributing among your group members, giving divided and potted seedlings away at an event or other ideas you submit for approval.

FAQs

What if my group will not be personally planting the granted seedlings?

If your group doesn’t intend to personally plant the granted seedlings in the ground and instead aims to distribute plants for others to plant, you have a few options. You can either apply for the individual grant, attend our giveaway events, or apply for our forthcoming Bona Terra Sponsored, Community-led Satellite Seedling Event.

How many seedlings can you be granted?

There is no set limit. Allocations will be determined case by case. Factors we will consider will be, size of the project, your group’s answer to “demonstrate your group’s experience”, potential of your project’s community impact and size of group. More square footage, experience, impact and people involved = more seedlings granted.

Plant Grant Application Form

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Thank you for your response. ✨

Group/Organization Name

My group is a non-profit, and I agree to send Bona Terra a donation receipt for the Community Pots we receive. Community Pots are valued at $15 each, and the donation receipt must include: the name of the organization, the date of the contribution, and the amount of the contribution.

Group/Organization Location

Point of Contact Information: This is one person in your organization who will be responsible for relaying questions to and from the group, coordinating plant pick-up, and returning the seedling trays.

Point of Contact Name

Point of Contact Email

Point of Contact Phone Number
Jeremy will call you if he has questions about your submitted application to go over the details. If you’re unable to answer, please be sure to call him back. Otherwise, your application will not be approved.

In a few words, demonstrate your group’s knowledge of dividing and maintaining seedlings and plants (for example: a member has nursery experience, a member has previously grown and divided seedlings, etc.).

If no one in your group has experience dividing and maintaining seedlings, you can still apply. We will be holding seedling dividing demonstrations in June and August.

Please describe the primary purpose for these seedlings (for example: pollinator garden, education garden, wildlife support, etc). Explain how your group will be personally responsible for planting, maintaining and/or overseeing maintenance for these plants.

Describe the location of where these seedlings/seeded quarts will be planted. List the location and ecosystem of the area you’re describing (for example: urban, suburban, rural, etc.)

Tell us about your maintenance plan (for example: each member spends an hour per month maintaining the garden space, your group has a designated horticulture team, etc.) This plan must include at least three people in your group.

Many species of the seedlings may need to be divided and put into pots before being transferred into the ground. Describe the space your group has for the seedlings that need to be grown in before they are planted.

Does your group have a secondary purpose for any remaining seedlings after fulfilling your planting plan? If so, please describe.

I agree to have my email added to the Bona Terra mailing list to receive important Plant Grant and nursery updates.

Approval of this grant does not guarantee any specific species or number of plants on these lists. We will do our best to match your group with the best plants for your situation.

Updates for 2026 Group Plant Grants

Previous Group Plant Grantees

Groups that have already submitted, been approved, and have participated in the Plant Grant do not need to resubmit their form for 2025. If your group would like to receive more plants, we require photos of the previously planted seedlings to be submitted to plantgrant@bonaterradc.com. Please also email us with any updates to your form such as an updated point of contact, email address, etc.

We will not be reserving any species or quantities: all seeded quarts are first come, first served.

Procedural Updates for 2025

Group Plant Grantees can pick-up their seeded quarts at two different locations: the Indian Head Nursery, and at the DC office.

You can pickup seeded quarts from the nursery in Indian Head, MD. If you’re planning a pick-up with more than one week’s notice, you can email your seeded quart request to plantgrant@bonaterradc.com. If you’re planning a pick-up with less than one week’s notice, call Jeremy directly at (703) 407-0718. Since the nursery is not yet open to the public, we will not be posting the address until zoning permits are cleared. You must call Jeremy to get the address.
You can pick up seeded quarts from our office in DC on a monthly basis. Pick-ups will occur on the last Friday of every month, and your Seedling Request Form should be submitted or emailed to plantgrant@bonaterradc.com before the third Friday of that month (aka a full week before the pick-up Friday) with the subject line “Seeded Quart Request.” As our DC office is a home office in the Brightwood neighborhood of NW DC (near 16th Street Heights), we will not be posting the address. You must email Beth to get the address and phone number for pick-up.

The Seedling Inventory List will be updated weekly, with estimated availability dates listed for all species in April.

How to Request Seeded Quarts

Fill out the Plant Grant Application Form (if you haven’t already) and wait for your approval.
Check out the Seedling Inventory List to see which species and quantities are currently available.
Use the Seedling Request Form below the Seedling Inventory List to submit the species and number of seeded quarts requested for pick-up. Make sure that your form is sent in the week before you want to pick up your seeded quarts.
Repeat as needed!

Seedling Inventory

Our Seedling Inventory is a list of all of the species we currently or plan to have available in seeded quarts this year. As species become available, we will add their quantities and update those numbers weekly. Plants without quantities are not currently available, but are projected to be available later in the year.

Seedling Planning for Planting Schedule

Trying to figure out which species will be available at which time of year? Use our Seedling Planning for Planting Schedule! This schedule shows the best times for direct-to-ground planting for seedlings, when container planting is advised, and when not to divide your seedlings. Use this schedule when deciding how and when you should get your plants in the ground and when you should email in your seeded quart requests!

Seedling Planning for Planting Schedule Download

Currently Available Plant Grant Seeded Quarts

Species Name	Common Name	Seeded Quarts Available	# of Seedlings per Quart
Amorpha fruticosa	False Indigobush	24	150
Carex frankii	Frank's Sedge	34	50
Eryngium yuccifolium	Rattlesnake Master	26	50
Eupatorium hyssopifolium	Hyssop-Leaved Thoroughwort	10	50
Eupatorium serotinum	Late Boneset	44	175
Eutrochium fistulosum	Hollow Joe-Pye Weed	197	80
Heliopsis helianthoides	False Sunflower	69	150
Hypericum punctatum (Small Quart)	Spotted St. John's Wort	36	100
Hypericum punctatum (Large Quart)	Spotted St. John's Wort	25	200
Myrica cerifera	Northern Bayberry	86	50
Penstemon digitalis	Foxglove Beardtongue	101	175
Penstemon hirsutus	Hairy Beardtongue	144	125
Prunella vulgaris	Self-Heal	18	175
Rudbeckia hirta	Black-Eyed Susan	74	175
Rudbeckia triloba	Brown-Eyed Susan (Large)	129	50
Sambucus canadensis	Elderberry	164	25
Schizachyrium scoparium	Little Bluestem	22	50
Solidago altissima LE	Tall Goldenrod	78	125
Solidago caesia	Wreath Goldenrod	117	75
Solidago juncea LE	Early Goldenrod (Large)	68	150
Solidago rugosa	Wrinkleleaf Goldenrod	110	150
Sorghastrum nutans	Indiangrass	45	50
Spiraea alba	White Meadowsweet	20	300
Thermopsis caroliniana	Carolina Lupine	13	40
Vernonia noveborancensis	New York Ironweed	59	50

Plant Grant Seedling Request Form

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Thank you for your response. ✨

Name

Phone Number

Where do you want to pick-up your seeded quarts?(required)

From the nursery in Indian Head, MD. Include the date you plan on coming to the nursery with your seeded quart list (Remember, if you're planning to pick-up with less than one week's notice, call Jeremy directly at (703) 407-0718). From the DC office (Remember, seeded quart requests will be collected until the third Friday of each month, and the seeded quarts will be brought to DC for pick-up on the last Friday of each month)

List of Seeded Quarts

Volunteer for the Plant Grant!

We will be hosting Volunteer Days at the nursery to help us prep for the next Plant Grant Cycle! You can hang out with Jeremy and talk shop with him while helping us share the joy of native plants with our community! We will be asking for volunteers to help us fill pots with soil, seed the soil, tag, label and count the seedlings.

Use the link below to access our Volunteer Sign-up Form!

Volunteer Sign-up Form

Seedling Division Guide

Check out our Seedling Division Guide for instructions on how to divide seedlings, mix soil, and important factors to consider for the health and longevity of your native plant seedlings.

Bona Terra General Seedling Division Guide Download