Amanda Wray is a Baltimore-based native plant educator, garden designer, illustrator and creative thinker.
She seeks to foster community through ecological gardening practices to help nature rebuild, and help people reconnect with nature through action + observation + sharing + introspection.
Her journey with native plants began on the West Coast of the U.S., working for a company whose mission was replacing lawns in drought-stricken areas in the Southern California.
Since coming to the Mid-Atlantic area in 2017, she has immersed herself in learning native plants of the Piedmont Ecoregion, along with amazing people that committed conservation who are transforming our local ecology for the better.
Amanda is available for public speaking on the topic of native plants and garden design with native plants.
Getting Started with Native Plants (30-90 mins) This informative talk is geared for people new to native plants will cover basics about what native plants are, why they are important, how to incorporate native plants into your garden, the impacts of lawns and how to know which plants are harmful and which are beneficial for our ecosystems.
Form + function in the native garden (60-90 mins) This informative talk is geared for people with some knowledge of native plants and wish to delve deeper into refining their garden by looking at how plants perform in different conditions, and how to make choices about plant groupings that make sense for seasonality, sociability and interest.
Garden Design with Native Plants (60-90 mins) This engaging talk can be done as a stand-alone, or as a longer talk with time for participatory learning session at the end. Topics covered include why native plants are important, how to assess and prepare your garden, design considerations and sample designs, plant lists, where to purchase plants and resources.
If you are someone you know is ready to start a native garden, but would like to know where to start, inquire below about a 60-90 min property walk (within a 30 mile radius of Towson, MD). During this walk I will make suggestions for invasive plant ID and removal, as well as identifying any native plants present. Areas that may be reshaped to retain or reroute water may be discussed, as well as recommendations for native plants, shrubs or trees. More in depth advice about planting, plant sourcing, low-cost ways to add plants to your garden, and plant lists is also available.
If you are in the planning stages of putting your garden together, or would like to refine what you have done so far, I am in the process of creating several plant charts to quickly allow the garden designer to understand which species might do best in the location you have in mind.
You are free to use my first planning chart, the Carex chart (Maryland Piedmont species). Carex make a wonderful lawn substitute.
Every year there are more resources for learning about native plants, purchasing them and becoming part of the community. If you are on Facebook, that is a quick way to find native gardeners in your area. You may want to connect with your local native plant society, a local native plant grower or nursery and ask for your local garden center to carry native plants.
In the meantime, you may also purchase native plants online, from IzelPlants.com or **MyHomePark.com** and other sources. Izel also has a nice way to filter plants by light, soil or your ecoregion, so it has a helpful planning tool. I recommend subscribing to their newsletter for informative articles. For more in-depth learning, visit NDAL.org (New Directions in American Landscape). Also check out any of Doug Tallamy’s books or YouTube videos. He is such an inspiration and font of knowledge.