With over eight inches of snow on the ground and sub-zero degree weather forecast this week in southeast Michigan, my mind naturally turns to gardening.
While I’m not able to do any gardening outside, I can get prepared for the upcoming gardening season, thanks to three free upcoming native plant indoor events.
Intergenerational Care for Land and Community: A Conversation with Robin Wall Kimmerer and Esther Bonney
Short notice for the first event: tonight’s free webinar hosted by national Wild Ones, Nurture Natives, and Plant Baby Plant.
What You’ll Learn
From the webinar description, Robin Wall Kimmerer, author, botanist, and founder of Plant Baby Plant will join youth leader and Nurture Natives founder Esther Bonney for an intergenerational conversation about belonging, reciprocity, and native plant action.
Together, they will explore:
- How do we create opportunities for young people to have a voice and feel empowered, even when they are not homeowners or decision makers?
- What kinds of relationships and mentorships help people stay engaged in native plant work over decades?
- Why do stories, shared practices, and community invitations matter just as much as plant lists?
- What invites people into this work, what keeps them here, and what elders and youth have to teach each other.
Webinar Details and Registration
The webinar is Wednesday, January 21, 2026 at 7pm Eastern Time (time zone converter).
While the webinar is free, pre-registration is required.
Winter Sowing Workshops
Hosted by our Wayne County Wild Ones chapter (I’m a proud member!), you’re invited to join one of our winter sowing workshops where you’ll learn to create a mini-greenhouse to grow native plants.
Using milk jugs or clear plastic jugs, you’ll sow seeds in soil and place the jugs outside during winter until the seeds germinate and grow.
All materials—seeds, jugs, hand shovels, and soil—will be provided. From what I learned, we’ll have over 50 different species of seeds!
What you need to do: register and show up at the workshop to fill jugs with soil and sow seeds.
When you’re done, take your jugs home and place them outside.
Winter Sowing Workshop at University of Michigan (UM)-Dearborn
When: Two sessions will be held January 24, 2026, one at 9:00AM, the other at 10:30AM
Where: UM-Dearborn Environmental Interpretive Center, 4901 Evergreen Rd, Dearborn, MI, 48128
Cost: Free, pre-registration requested (Google Form). Since space and materials are limited, we need to know how many people are coming.
Winter Sowing Workshop at Henry Ford Centennial Library
When: February 14, 2026 from 10:30AM to 12:30PM
Where: Henry Ford Centennial Library, 16301 Michigan Ave.Dearborn, MI 48126
Cost: Free, pre-registration requested (Google Form). Since space and materials are limited, we need to know how many people are coming.
Summary
Short notice, but today’s native plants webinar tonight is a good event to get you excited about this year’s gardening season.
I’ll be attending the January 24th winter sowing workshop at UM-Dearborn to sow seeds for purple coneflower, nodding onion, eastern columbine, black-eyed Susans, and tickseed. Hope you’ll join me!
