Urban Native Plant Nursery

Nestled between a fire station, a homeless shelter, and the railroad tracks, our urban nursery is in the heart of downtown Silver Spring, MD. Our goal is to bring pockets of nature back to our crowded urban spaces in order to support local wildlife, clean our local waterways, and beautify our living spaces. We use our nursery to propagate plants native to Maryland and the Chesapeake Bay Watershed.

Community Partner

We partner with organizations serving communities who may not have funds to purchase high-quality native plants in the numbers needed for landscaping. In concert with our community partners, we plan native plant installations and provide plants at low- or no-cost for community plantings. These installations enhance communities and their green spaces, improve water quality, and provide much-needed habitat for pollinators, birds, and other animals.

Long Branch Library planting, September 2026

Who We Are

How We Work

Community Plantings

Cardinal Flower Community Plantings relies on an all-volunteer team of committed community members to do our work. Volunteers meet at the nursery in downtown Silver Spring and help to sow (in the winter), pot up (summer and fall), and care for seedlings (all year). Our nursery is furnished with donated and salvaged second-hand tables and shelving, and we solicit and accept donations of resources like empty milk jugs and nursery containers for sowing and potting up plants.

Cardinal Flower Community Plantings works hard to ensure that the seeds we use originate within the local area as much as possible, and we strive to propagate as many Local Ecotype Species (LENS) as possible. We keep meticulous records of the provenance of all of our native plants.

We recognize that different organizations have different needs, and Cardinal Flower Community Plantings seeks to help each partner however we can. Cardinal Flower can help assess needs, draw up planting plans, assist with attracting and organizing volunteers for installation, and provide native plants. Partner organizations provide a written watering and maintenance plan for each installation.

By the Numbers

1,750+

Native Plants Contributed to Date

10

Partner Organizations

375

Approximate Volunteer Hours

1

Year Since Establshment

We Need More Native Plants in Urban Spaces

"Native Plants" are plants that are originally from our area. They have evolved to thrive in our climate and local conditions and to serve the local wildlife that has evolved along with them. Every geographic area has its own native plants; Cardinal Flower Community Plantings propagate plants that are native to Maryland and the Chesapeake Bay Watershed. Native plants are helpful in many ways:

● Their roots filter pollutants out of stormwater before they can get to local streams and waterways, keeping our water clean.

● Because they are adapted to the climate, they need less water and maintenance than ornamental plants.

● They provide habitat for pollinators, birds, small mammals, and more.

● They are beautiful!

Planting Strengthens Communities

Nothing creates community like planting a garden together. Working with neighbors and community members to install native plants in a shared space connects the community to their space and connects people to each other. And the work doesn't stop when the plants are planted! These natives need regular watering for a few months, until they are established. Once they begin to thrive, they will provide wonderful educational opportunities for adults and children alike, creating never-ending opportunities to strengthen community bonds.