Bona Terra Seedling Tray Plant Grant
Group Plant Grant
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
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 2024 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 2024. 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 2024
All seeded quart pick-ups will occur at our nursery in Friendship, MD. Pick-ups can be scheduled:
- Thursdays from 10 am to 4 pm
- Fridays from 6 am to 6 pm
- Saturdays from 6 am to 6 pm
- Sundays for contactless pick-up
Or coordinated during our Seedling Giveaway Events from 12-2pm.
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, and wait for your approval.
- Check out the Seedling Inventory List to see which species and quantities are currently available.
- Use the Google Form to submit the species and number of seeded quarts requested for pick-up. Make sure that your form is sent in by 10 pm the Wednesday before you want to pick up your seeded quarts.
- Pick-up your seeded quarts at the scheduled time or between 12-2 pm at one of our Seedling Giveaway Events
- Repeat as needed!
Seedling Inventory
Our Seedling Inventory is a list of all of the species we 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.
| A | B | C |
|---|---|---|
| Species Name | Common Name | Seeded Quarts Available |
| Achillea millefolium LE | Yarrow | |
| Ageratina altissima LE | White Snake Root | |
| Allium cernuum | Nodding Onion | |
| Amorpha fruticosa | False Indigobush | |
| Amsonia tabernaemontana var. salicifolia | Willow Bluestar | |
| Andropogon virginicus LE | Broom Sedge | |
| Aquilegia canadensis | Red Columbine | |
| Asclepias incarnata | Swamp Milkweed | |
| Asclepias syriaca | Common Milkweed | |
| Asclepias tuberosa | Butterfly Milkweed | |
| Baptisia australis | Blue False Indigo | |
| Baptisia tinctoria | Yellow Wild Indigo | |
| Bidens aristosa LE | Swamp Marigold | |
| Blephilia hirsuta LE | Hairy Wood Mint | |
| Cephalanthus occidentalis LE | Buttonbush | |
| Chasmanthium latifolium LE | River Oats | |
| Chelone glabra | White Turtlehead | |
| Chelone glabra LE | White Turtlehead | |
| Chrysopsis mariana LE | Maryland Goldenaster | |
| Conoclinium coelestinum | Blue Mistflower | |
| Coreopsis lanceolata | Lance-leaved Coreopsis | |
| Elephantopus tomentosus LE | Elephant's Foot | |
| Eryngium yuccifolium | Rattlesnake Master | 15 |
| Eupatorium capillifolium LE | Dogfennel | |
| Eupatorium hyssopifolium LE | Hyssop-leaved Thoroughwort | |
| Eupatorium perfoliatum | Common Boneset | |
| Eupatorium serotinum LE | Late Boneset | |
| Euthamia graminifolia LE | Flat-top Goldenrod | |
| Eutrochium fistulosum LE | Hollow Joe-Pye Weed | |
| Eutrochium maculatum LE | Spotted Joe-Pye Weed | |
| Hibiscus moscheutos LE | Swamp Rose Mallow | |
| Hydrangea arborescens LE | Smooth Hydrangea | |
| Hypericum punctatum | Spotted St, John's Wort | |
| Hypericum pyramidatum | Tall St. John's Wort | |
| Iris versicolor | Northern Blue Flag Iris | |
| Liatris spicata | Blazing Star | |
| Lobelia cardinalis | Cardinal Flower | |
| Lobelia siphilitica | Great Blue Lobelia | |
| Ludwigia alternifolia LE | Seedbox | 6 |
| Monarda fistulosa LE | Wild Bergamot | |
| Oenothera biennis LE | Evening Primrose | |
| Oligoneuron rigidum | Stuff Goldenrod | 138 |
| Panicum anceps LE | Beaked Panicum Grass | |
| Panicum virgatum LE | Switchgrass | |
| Penstemon digitalis | Foxglove Beardtongue | 60 |
| Persicaria virginiana LE | Jumpseed | |
| Physostegia virginiana | Obedient Plant | |
| Prunella vulgaris LE | Self Heal | |
| Pycnanthemum tenuifolium LE | Narrow Mountian Mint | |
| Rhexia virginiana LE | Virginia Meadow Beauty | |
| Rhus typhina LE | Staghorn Sumac | 4 |
| Rudbeckia hirta LE | Black-Eyed Susan | |
| Rudbeckia triloba | Brown-Eyed Susan | 40 |
| Salvia lyrata LE | Lyre-leaf Sage | |
| Solidago altissima LE | Tall Goldenrod | 209 |
| Solidago juncea LE | Early Goldenrod | |
| Solidago nemoralis LE | Gray Goldenrod | |
| Solidago odora | Anisescented Goldenrod | |
| Solidago speciosa | Showy Goldenrod | 16 |
| Spiraea alba | White Meadowsweet | |
| Spiraea tomentosa | Steeplebush | |
| Symphyotrichum laeve LE | Smooth Blue Aster | |
| Symphyotrichum lanceolatum LE | Panicled Aster | |
| Symphyotrichum lateriflorum LE | Calico Aster | |
| Symphyotrichum Mix (ericoides and pilosum) | Heath and Frost Asters | |
| Symphyotrichum novae-angliae | New England Aster | |
| Thermopsis caroliniana | Carolina Lupine | |
| Tridens flavus LE | Purpletop | |
| Verbena urticifolia LE | White Vervain | |
| Verbesina alternifolia | Wingstem | |
| Verbesina occidentalis LE | Maryland Gold Crown | |
| Vernonia noveboracensis LE | New York Ironweed | |
| Vitis riparia LE | River Grape | |
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, and moderate the temperature in the hoop house while seeds germinate.
We will also need volunteers to help divide and distribute seedlings during out Seedling Giveaways! We will be opening our nursery for plant purchases and seedling giveaways on certain Saturdays from 10 am to 2 pm, and would welcome help in giving away seedlings to help get native plants in the ground.
Use the link below to access our 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.