Hanna collecting acorns (photo by Hanna Blood)At the meeting of the Gila Native Plant Society on Friday, March 16, 2018, Hanna Blood will give a presentation entitled "Wildly Cultivating" on gardening with native plants. Bring some questions! She will to try to solve your gardening quandaries.

Hanna at the farmers market (photo by Hanna Blood)Hanna explains how she became involved with propagation of native plants: "Exploring wild, forgotten hedgerows, climbing ancient chestnut trees and hiding in the thick ferns of birch forests is where my love of plants began. Twenty-five years ago I ventured into the Sonoran Desert and then I knew my fate was to be a life of growing plants. I have worked in commercial and native plant propagation in Arizona and restoration, collection and grow-out in Utah and Montana; studied herbal medicine; farmed in the Gila river valley; and was the horticulturist and collection manager for the Arboretum at Flagstaff on the Colorado Plateau. You can currently find me and my medicinal plants at the Silver City Farmers Market. I hope my passion for plants inspires you to grow more!"

Meetings of the Gila Native Plant Society are held the third Friday of the month at 7.00 p.m. in Harlan Hall, second floor, Room 219, corner of Alabama and 12th Streets, on the Western New Mexico University campus. Free and open to the public. Refreshments following the program.

The Gila Native Plant Society is committed to promoting education, research and appreciation of the native flora of the Southwest, encouraging the preservation of rare and endangered plant species and supporting the use of suitable native plants in landscaping. For information on programs, publications and membership, please visit www.gilanps.org.