Returning to the Environmental Interpretive Center (EIC) on The University of Michigan Dearborn campus

7:00-7:30 pm Optional Social Time

7:30-8:00 pm Announcements

8:00-9:00 pm Native Plants & Detroit Wildflower Nursery, www.detroitwildflowernursery.com

Founder and co-owner of Detroit Wildflower Nursery (with his dog Mako), Mitchell Swindell grows and sells native plants of Michigan and the Great Lakes region. When we return to in-person meetings in April, Mitchell will talk about native plants, the nursery, plant recommendations and installation best practices.

As his interest in native plants grew, Mitchell wondered why was it so hard it was to buy weeds. Now he has on online business and hosts shoppers by appointment at his home on an acre in Farmington Hills, southeast of Orchard Lake and 12 Mile. The 2024 season runs May 4 to October 27 with weekday appointments during lunch and 5-8 PM and weekend appointments between 9 AM and 1 PM.

For Mitchell, gardening with native plants is more than just gardening. It's about creating habitat and restoring balance. The Detroit Wildflower Nursery website, www.detroitwildflowernursery.com, helps gardeners shop by categories: pollinator favorites, host plants, edible, bird feeders, deer-resistant, sun to part sun, shade to part shade, dry to medium soil, wet to medium soil, height, bloom time and plant type (wildflowers, grasses, trees & shrubs, groundcovers & vines).

Prices are $3.50 for cost-effective plugs, $7 for landscape-ready plugs, and $12 for one gallon mature plants with established root system.