Events Sponsored by the
Midwest Native Plant Society
Here you will find educational events partnered or sponsored by MWNPS.
Natural Gardening for Landscapes
June 28, 2025 9:30 am to 12:30 pm. Free, registration required. Limit 75.
Civic Garden Center, 2715 Reading Road, Cincinnati, OH 45206
Free parking in the lot or on the street.
Hosted by the Midwest Native Plant Society and Greater Cincinnati Wild Ones
Demystifying the Matrix Planting Style, Jennifer Smith
Famous designers such as Piet Oudolf, Dan Pearson, and Adam Woodruff are known for their lush gardens that hold their beauty year-round. They have also brought the Matrix planting style to the front pages of garden magazines and books. But what is Matrix planting, and what can we learn from these designers and their way to plan a garden? Join us as we discuss employing the Matrix planting style when planting for pollinators. This talk is for all levels.
Jennifer Smith is an award-winning pollinator garden designer and educator at Wimberg Landscaping. She has been planting with nature for more than 20 years, she designed and maintains the Wimberg Landscaping pollinator garden at Ault Park, the new pollinator garden at the Wasson Way bike trail, as well as the gardens surrounding Wimberg’s office. She was a volunteer gardener with Ault Park for nearly 10 years, and was the coordinator of the Adopt-a-Plot program at Ault Park for several years. She is a garden writer, photographer, and speaker and former garden blogger for Horticulture Magazine.
Planting Native in a World of HOAs & Weed Ordinances, Sam Settlemeyre
Gardening with native plants is an incredibly rewarding experience, however the experience can quickly sour if you receive a citation for your natural garden. Weed ordinances, HOA rules, and societal norms encourage mowed manicured lawns restricted by height and general appearance. Requiring uniformity makes it easy to enforce these rules, but completely ignores the needs of other organisms that are trying to survive in our suburban landscapes. In this class we will take a closer look at local weed ordinances and HOA rules that make planting native difficult. We will explore how one can plant native without getting cited and what you should do in the case that you do receive a citation for your natural garden. Finally, we will look at some local efforts to change these laws and learn about how you can get involved.
Sam is the Conservation Program Manager at the Civic Garden Center of Greater Cincinnati where he works to support healthy green spaces and restore urban habitats. Through his work he provides education and resources to homeowners, partner organizations and volunteers working in public spaces. Outside of work, Sam serves as a board member for Northside Greenspace. Like many native plant geeks, his love for the outdoors led him to develop a passion for this work and drives him to introduce others to the wonders of the natural world.
After the talk, you are welcome to stroll the grounds to see some inspiring landscaping, the new native plant greenhouse, and more. Feel free to bring your lunch to eat on the grounds after the program.
Monarch Butterflies: From Mexico to Your Backyard!
Presentation by Mark and Nan Plunkett
August 14, 2025 6:30 – 8:00 pm.
First Unitarian Church of Cincinnati, 536 Linton Street, Cincinnati, OH 45219
Free, Registration required, limit 100. Free parking in the church lot.
Hosted by Greater Cincinnati Wild Ones & the Midwest Native Plant Society, Inc.
Registration Link!
As long time monarch enthusiasts, Mark and Nan recently visited two Monarch Butterfly overwintering sites, Sierra Chincua and El Rosario, in the Oyamel Fir forests located in Central Mexico. They will speak about their experience, using photos from their trip, and will give us an update of the monarch’s status as well as some interesting thoughts on the future (and past) of the monarch butterfly and what actions we as gardeners can take to help them thrive.
Mark and Nan Plunkett are trained Master Gardener Volunteers and members of the horticulture volunteer team at the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden. Both have completed master’s degrees in Biology with a focus on local conservation from Miami University. As enthusiastic home gardeners, they enjoy not only the plants in the gardens they have created but love how these stationary, rooted plants actually move through the wings of the insects and birds they attract.