Growing Wild

Growing Wild South Hadley is an initiative of the Conservation Commission to promote biodiversity through planting native and pollinator species. This initiative follows guidance from others such as Homegrown National Park, DCR's Growing Wild Massachusetts, Western Massachusetts Master Gardener Association and the Massachusetts Pollinator Network.

The mission of this initiative is to help the community understand that your yard can be more than just the place where you hold your barbecues or a patch of grass where your kids play. Each yard is connected with the environment around us through a fragile link with nature. As property owners, we have the responsibility of caring for, and improving, that link. With the guidance and patience, you can take meaningful steps to restore and maintain an ecologically sustainable landscape.

New: Massachusetts Native Plant Palette. Click Here to try it!

The Mass Native Plant Palette is a website application that will allow users to explore native plants and create lists ("plant palettes") which they can then bring with them to their local nurseries or garden centers. Explore native plants, browse plant palettes, and create your own! You can search by plant type, flower color, size, height, and more.

10 Things to Get You Started - such as shrinking your lawn and removing invasives.

Biodiversity is critical to maintaining ecosystem function. Every human being on our planet needs diverse productive ecosystems to survive. Our local ecosystems produce oxygen, clean water, pollination, wildlife habitat, carbon storage, and so much more. These ecosystem services sustain us and our community. Planting native pollinator species promotes biodiversity and is important in maintaining a healthy ecosystem.

We love our lawns. So much so, lawns are the biggest irrigated crop in the country. Greenhouse gas emissions from lawn mowing accompanied with fertilizing and other lawn maintenance practices are far greater than the carbon stored by grass. While a sprawling lawn can be appealing to the eye, it is not a diverse ecosystem. Adding native plants to a yard supports the ecologically stainable landscape of the community.

Upcoming Events & Workshops

Winter Seed Sowing Workshop

Start a pollinator garden for pennies. Grow your own plants from seed over the winter! Use the same technique to start your vegetables and annuals in late winter/spring. Join the South Hadley Growing Wild Committee of the Conservation Commission for a “Winter Seed Sowing Workshop” at the South Hadley Public Library on Thursday, February 5, 2026, from 6:30-8:00. Learn how to start seeds in gallon milk jugs.

After a short presentation on the basics of winter sowing, we will get our hands on the dirt. We will provide native perennial seeds and all the supplies to create your own first milk jug planters to take home. We will also offer seeds if you want to do more on your own later. Click here to view the presentation "All the Dirt on Winter Sowing" prepared by Molly Moore & Marlene Smith.

Space is limited. Kindly email so we are sure to have enough materials for everyone: kdavis@educ.umass.edu

Resources

Native Plants Program by Hampden Hampshire County Conservation District .

Hampden-Hampshire Conservation District is partnering with landowners and towns in the region to convert lawns and other managed landscapes into native plant gardens and meadows. Visit the Native Plants Program webpage here.

Previous Growing Wild Presentations

Online Webinars

Homegrown National Park with Doug Tallamy
- "What's the Rush" - the science-based solution to the biodiversity crisis and explains why it's so urgent
- "The Nature of Oaks" - the essential role oak trees play in supporting biodiversity and explains how they sustain wildlife and healthy ecosystems.
- "Restoring Insects" - the vital role insects play in our ecosystems and presents a science-based approach to restoring their populations.
"Evenings With Experts" - Sponsored by Grow Native Massachusetts.
Doug Tallamy, Author, The Nature of Oaks; Nature's Best Hope
Designing with Plant Communities with Dan Jaffe Wilder
MAPN (Mass Pollinator Network) Monthly Meeting April - pollinator curriculum with Jocelyn Demuth

Explore these other Resources

1001 Pollinator Gardens. 1,001 Pollinator Gardens is an initiative to encourage, support, and document the commitment of 1,001 people in Western Massachusetts to grow gardens that offer food and shelter to pollinators. The goals are to: 1. Provide sustaining habitat for pollinator species and 2. Help shift human gardening culture towards more ecologically beneficial gardening practices based on our knowledge of the needs of pollinators and other wildlife species.

Lawns into Meadows - Growing a regenerative landscape by Owen Wormser. This book described how to plant an organic meadow that's right for your site, whether it's a yard, community garden, or tired city lot. He shares advice on preparing your plot, coming up with the right design, and planting grasses and flowers. Available by special order from The Odyssey Bookshop

Tallamy's Hub. This is a great place to start. Tallamy's Hub is a collection of writings, podcasts, books, and videos on the effort to regenerate biodiversity one backyard at at time. “... what if each American landowner converted half of his or her yard to productive native plant communities? Even moderate success could collectively restore some semblance of ecosystem function to more than 20 million acres of what is now ecological wasteland.”- Douglas Tallamy, Homegrown National Park®

The Massachusetts Pollinator Network is a statewide network of individuals, communities, organizations, native plant experts, and researchers working to project pollinators across the Commonwealth. The mission of the MA Pollinator Network (MAPN) is to expand pollinator habitat and reduce the use of pesticides through creation of a statewide network that connects and supports the growing number of individuals, communities, organizations, and research groups working to protect pollination systems across the Commonwealth.

Growing Wild Massachusetts. Driving along the highway you may see signs that say "No Mow Zone - Pollinator Meadow". These pollinator habitat areas are in part due to efforts behind DCR'S Growing Wild Massachusetts. This spring, DCR hopes to again work with Dave's Natural Garden in Granby to offer pollinator garden starter kits free of charge to customers. Kits will be available first come first serve. Check the DCR website for updates on the program.

Grow Native Massachusetts. A place to find programs, resources, and to learn about promoting biodiversity with native plants across the state. Grow Native Massachusetts has a great beginner's article "Getting Started - For Beginners" and for the more experienced gardener be sure to check out the Evenings with Experts - A Free Public Lecture Series.

Regional and Local Pollinator Network Plans. Eight Franklin County communities are working together to proactively identify, create and support pollinator habitat in and around areas of development to respond to declining populations of native pollinator species.