In 2023, 2024, 2025, and 2026 Adkins Arboretum received funding from the Chesapeake Bay Trust (CBT) and Queen Anne’s County to provide outreach and education to local Homeowner Associations (HOAs) and the general public, supporting environmentally friendly landscaping practices.

The speaker series and native garden tours were developed as part of the Naturally Better Landscaping Project, in partnership with ShoreRivers, Eastern Shore Land Conservancy, Pickering Creek, Phillips Wharf, and Wild Ones Delmarva.

The Naturally Better Landscaping Speaker Series and Native Garden Tours are free to attend, thanks to funding from CBT and Queen Anne’s County. They are 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.

The 2026 series expands on the success of earlier events by continuing expert-led talks and adding garden visits, highlighting local examples of ecological landscaping in practice. 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.

The Naturally Better Landscaping Speaker Series is free to attend, but advance registration is required.

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.

Click here  for examples of environmentally friendly landscaping techniques.

The Naturally Better Landscaping Project was developed in partnership with Shore Rivers, Phillips Wharf, Pickering Creek, Eastern Shore Land Conservancy and Wild Ones Delmarva and with funding from Chesapeake Bay Trust and Queen Anne’s County.