Photo: Laura Beaty and Donna Murphy

When: Tuesday, November 1, 7:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Where: Virtual
Members: $10
Non-members: $15

Laura Beaty and Donna Murphy

Do you want a garden brimming with life for a fraction of the price you’d pay to install full-grown plants? Learn how to propagate native plants from seed with this helpful tutorial. Now is the time to collect and sow seeds in trays of seed-starter medium for over-wintering and sprouting seedlings in the spring and summer. Laura Beaty and Donna Murphy will recommend seed sources, share helpful tips and tricks, and answer questions from the audience.

Laura Beaty has been working outdoors since she was old enough to hold a rake. As a member of the Virginia Native Plant Society (VNPS) and chair of the Propagation Committee, Laura manages the native plant beds of the Potomac Chapter at Green Spring Gardens in Alexandria, growing and selling plants. Laura also volunteers to help restore nearby parks, and rescues native plants from sites designated for development. She is a popular speaker on native plants and presents the “Native Plants” component for the Green Spring Gardens’ Master Gardener program each year. During her career she worked for the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources as well as with the National Parks Conservation Association.

Donna Murphy has been a member of the Potowmack Chapter of VNPS since the summer of 2011 when she retired and found there a family of like-minded friends. She served as chair of the chapter’s Program Committee for seven years and then found her real niche in serving the organization’s signage needs. She prints individual pot labels weekly and produces larger educational signs (with photos) for the sales. She works at the propagation beds every week from April through October.