In 2012, a group of native plant enthusiast and advocates joined together to launch Plant Piedmont Natives (PPN), a partnership dedicated to promoting the use of plants native to Virginia in our yards, parks, public spaces, and landscaping. The early efforts of this group generated some tools you may use today, such as the Piedmont Native Plants Database, and Piedmont Native Plants: A Guide for Landscapes and Gardens. PPN is one of seven regional campaigns across Virginia that are a part of the Virginia Native Plant Marketing Partnership. PPN covers Fauquier, Rappahannock, Culpeper, Madison, Orange, Greene, Albemarle, Louisa, Fluvanna, Nelson, and Buckingham Counties and the City of Charlottesville.

On July 17, 2019, PPN reconvened bringing together stakeholders from the 11 county region for a day of thoughtful discussion and action planning. The Jefferson Chapter of the VNPS and Piedmont Environmental Council hosted the event. Carol Heiser, Habitat Education Coordinator for Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries and Virginia Witmer, Outreach Coordinator for Coastal Zone Management Program Office at DEQ generously provided additional financial support and expertise. UVA Institute for Engagement and Negotiation staff, Kristina Weaver and Mike Foreman, assisted PPN in planning and facilitating this meeting. Their skillful meeting facilitation helped us to develop four Working Groups and identify 10 new short-term goals to reignite the work of PPN. We were blown away by the interest and participation of the 38 meeting attendees and inspired by the enthusiasm and ideas each one brought with them.

Plant Piedmont Natives is for anyone who works with native plants, whether you are a property owner, private consultant or landscape designer, nursery operator, or local government. The goal is to go beyond making people aware of native plants, but to change their behavior to ask for and use native plants consistently.

Celia Vuocolo, Wildlife Habitat & Stewardship Specialist with Piedmont Environmental Council and Elizabeth Mizell, Vice President of VNPS Jefferson Chapter are co-chairs for Plant Piedmont Natives. We are building a grassroots partner initiative that includes motivated citizens and volunteers, partner organization, and local governments to promote native plants.