Celebrating Our Spring ’26 Nursery Cohort Participants
This spring, something really special grew in the nursery at Reflection Riding Arboretum & Nature Center. Not just thousands of native plants, but a community rooted in curiosity and connection.
Nine individuals joined our very first Spring Nursery Cohort, spending the season learning, working, and growing together at the Native Plant Nursery. What began as a new volunteer and educational opportunity quickly became a weekly gathering place filled with dirty hands, shared knowledge and a deep appreciation for the natural world around us.
Nestled alongside Reflection Riding’s forested trails and wild spaces, the nursery offered participants a front-row seat to the unfolding of spring. Week by week, the landscape transformed. We noticed tiny changes - the first emerging seedlings, the blooming trillium tucked beneath the trees, the arrival of bluebells, the growing buds overhead, and eventually the rich green canopy that signaled summer was on its way.
The season began in February with cozy mornings spent seed starting in the greenhouse. Trays filled as participants learned propagation techniques and cared for young native plants. By March, excitement built as the seeds germinated and plants grew. We carried worktables outdoors whenever we could, chasing pockets of warm sunshine and working alongside spring wildflowers in the nursery gardens.
April brought the busy rhythm of the growing season, potting and repotting hundreds of young plants, tending seedlings, and scouting native species like phlox, wild geranium, and columbine for future seed collection. There was always something to learn and opportunities to share knowledge.
By May, the nursery felt completely alive. Early spring blooms faded beneath the full canopy of green, and the greenhouse buzzed with activity. To celebrate the close of the season, cohort members worked together on a collaborative art project, painting a colorful collage of wildflowers across our greenhouse workbench, the “kitchen table” of the nursery. It felt like the perfect reflection of the season itself: creative, collaborative, and bright.
One of the most meaningful aspects of the cohort was the diversity of experiences that participants brought. Some were longtime gardeners transforming home landscapes into native plant sanctuaries. Others had recently moved into new homes and were just beginning to imagine what their gardens could become. A few were learning how to garden for the very first time. No matter their experience level, everyone arrived willing to learn and contribute, creating a welcoming and supportive environment.
The cohort also became part of a much larger volunteer community. Throughout the spring, participants worked alongside weekly volunteers, occasional helpers, school groups, and corporate service teams. Some days the nursery hosted crews of 10–20 people, all coming together around a shared purpose of caring for plants and supporting local ecosystems. Watching those connections form between people, plants, and place was one of the greatest parts of the season.
Together, this community accomplished so much:
2,379 plants potted and repotted
88 seed trays started
20 plant species scouted and seeds collected
Too many washed pots to count :)
And so much more!
The impact of this work reaches far beyond these numbers.
Each plant that leaves the nursery carries a collective effort into public gardens, restoration projects, pollinator habitats, neighborhood yards, and community spaces across our region. These plants will provide food and shelter for wildlife, strengthen biodiversity, and help reconnect people to the landscapes around them. That ripple effect is something truly worth celebrating.
To cohort members Ani, Charlie, Mary Jane, Magen, Bella, Lucy, Ben, Stephanie, and Carol - THANK YOU. Thank you for your enthusiasm, dedication, curiosity, and positivity. You helped shape not only this program but the spirit of the nursery.
And to the many volunteers, students, and community groups who joined us throughout the season…thank you for making the nursery such a vibrant and joyful place this spring. Your time and energy matter so much!
We are so grateful for this growing community and excited for what’s ahead.
For those interested in joining this nature-loving community, visit our volunteer page to learn more about upcoming summer and fall volunteer opportunities and the next Nursery Cohort season beginning in mid-August.
