In 2023, 2024, and 2025, Adkins Arboretum received funding from the Chesapeake Bay Trust (CBT) to provide outreach and education to local Homeowner Associations (HOAs) and the general public, supporting environmentally friendly landscaping practices.

This speaker series was developed as part of the Naturally Better Landscaping Project, in partnership with ShoreRivers, Eastern Shore Land Conservancy, Pickering Creek, and Phillips Wharf, and is offered free of charge, thanks to funding from CBT and Queen Anne’s County.

The Naturally Better Landscaping Speaker Series is free to attend. It is designed to help homeowners, HOA boards, land managers, and community members explore practical and inspiring ways to care for the land using native plants and ecology-based practices. This series is part of the larger Naturally Better Landscaping, a multi-year education and outreach initiative developed.

This year’s speaker series expands on the success of earlier events, offering timely guidance from nationally recognized experts in the fields of horticulture, ecology, and design. Attendees will gain insight into how everyday landscaping choices impact pollinators, water quality, and climate resilience, and how to create landscapes that benefit both people and wildlife.

Maryland’s pollinators, songbirds, and waterways are threatened. That’s why Maryland law now protects the rights of homeowners to create habitat for these critically important species. Passed in 2021, Maryland House Bill 322 prohibits HOA governing bodies from imposing undue restrictions on homeowners for employing environmentally-friendly landscaping techniques. These techniques create wildlife habitat, conserve water, prevent runoff, and provide pollution prevention.

Continue reading for examples of environmentally friendly landscaping techniques.

The Naturally Better Landscaping Project for was developed in partnership with Shore Rivers and with funding from Chesapeake Bay Trust.