How DC Natives Works

DC Natives supports a healthy climate by increasing pollinator habitats and creating the local beauty we believe every resident deserves. Since our inception, we’ve created hundreds of pollinator gardens around the city. This has been made possible by our volunteers including Block Captains who work together to identify community members who want to have pollinator gardens, help them select plants, learn about plantcare, and design and create beautiful spaces. 

The process begins with Block Captains learning about their community members who are interested in having a garden. They may do so by posting on their local social media groups, at community events, or through conversations with friends and neighbors. Block Captains send community members our online interest form and invite them to attend a DC Natives informational Zoom call to learn more about our work, calendar, and process. Afterwards, we schedule a site visit with the community member to discuss site prep options and select flowers for their garden or planters. We also schedule a time for the community member, our block captain, and other members of the DC Natives team to work together to plant flowers, install soaker hoses, etc. Our model is collaborative and educational ensuring community members are actively part of creating beauty in their gardens, yards, and neighborhoods. 

Every year, we start our work around DC with site visits for the following spring in December, January, and February, garden prep in March, and planting pollinator gardens in April and May. We repeat the process again for the fall season, starting with site visits in June and planting gardens in October. We welcome members of our community to join us in the work of creating pollinator gardens around our city.