Upcoming Events

Master Gardener Kathy Amensen will demonstrate milk jug seed germination. Winter time is a perfect time for native seeds that need cold stratification.

We chose work dates for seeding, transplanting and assembling the kits. The sale date is set for June 3rd at Stone Silo Prairie Gardens. from 9:00 - 2:00. We decided to offer a free plant to people who join Wild Ones when they order. Tim Krause offered to update the order form, the spreadsheet to keep track of kits ordered and plant numbers, and creating QR codes for access to this form and a code for the back of our brochures to our website. Several community events were suggested as venues to have our display table and brochures; Aldo Leopold event in February, Seed Library at the Central Green Bay Library on March 4th, Earth Day program at the Kroc Center on April 22nd, and the Garden Blitz May 4th to the 7th. Lastly, we decided to look at having a yard sign made by a local vendor to sell at our spring plant sale and in the future. Volunteers will be asked to chose one or two designs and have them priced. 

A separate issue was discussed to look into creating a grant program to help non profits like schools, churches, and possibly government offices or local businesses to create native gardens. Julie Mazzoleni offered to head a new committee to begin the process of developing this new program.

We will begin planting seeds at the greenhouse for the pollinator kit sale later in spring. Justin Kroening will instruct everyone how to prepare the trays for seeding and planting each type of seed for successful germination.  

Neil Diboll, President of Prairie Nursery is speaking in this special joint event between the Green Bay chapter of Wild Ones, Green Bay Botanical Garden and N.E.W. Master Gardeners. Registration is required and the meeting is free for members plus one guest. Register on the chapter website greenbay.wildones.org.

Begin to set up the framework for a grant program for our chapter. The purpose is to help non profits, schools, and other possible recipients establish a native garden, in order to benefit pollinators and the ecosystem. 

Emily Henrigillis, Master Gardener and owner of "The Plant Gal" will be speaking about her work with shoreline restoration, aquatic plants, and rain gardens for landscapes with water issues. 

Post event; Emily generously shared her presentation link for our chapter website.

We will be transplanting the seedlings from the trays to pots and adding labels for the Pollinator Kit sale.

Second day of transplanting seedlings to pots for the Pollinator Kit sale.

Cleanup/Maintenance of the native garden at the Railroad Museum; organized by Sue Barrie and Darlene Gast.

Transplanting seedlings needed for the Pollinator Kit orders.

Native garden maintenance organized by Sue Barrie and Darlene Gast. Involved cleaning up dead leaves as needed, removing unwanted weeds (Creeping Charlie, Creeping Bellflower, etc.) and extra Cup Plant and cool season grasses.

Last day of transplanting seedlings to pots for the Pollinator Kit sale.

Routine garden maintenance as needed.

We will be creating the pollinator kits, filling the flats with the needed species for both the sun and shade kits according to the landscape plans.

This is our spring plant sale. People will pick up their pre-ordered pollinator kits and will also be able to pick up a free plant if they joined Wild Ones when ordering their kits.  

Bobbi Webster, UWGB Natural Areas Ecologist, will conduct the tour, discussing the process of installing and maintaining the prairie, plus the benefits of the planting. If there is time, we will look at the Keith White Prairie, host of the Rusty Patch Bumblebee.

Routine garden maintenance as needed.

Volunteers weeded out Morning Glory vine, grasses and assorted weeds to clean up the bed.

Tour of the natural area on the west shore of Green Bay that is a refuge for waterfowl, wildlife and native plants. Meet in the Nature Center and park in that lot. The tour will be along the nature trails, through woods and prairie, highlighting what they do for habitat management.

Weeding to maintain the garden.

Tour of the Griebnow Hobby Farm which has incorporated native plant garden beds with unique art pieces along with alpacas, chickens, ducks and a donkey. There will be car pooling available for those who wish to participate.

I set up an information table for our chapter at the store to promote our organization and answer questions about native plants. 

The group will be making the garden picture perfect in order to take photos for our website and Facebook page.

Our chapter's annual plant sale in late summer is a good opportunity for members and the public to add native plants to the landscape.

We will view the native plantings of both homes in a progressive yard tour, beginning at the Kubichek home at 815 S Jackson St in Green Bay and ending at the Vande Hei residence at 1282 Ridgedale Ct in Green Bay.

Join Wild Ones Honorary Director Heather Holm as she explores the nesting habitats, life cycles, pollen collection, brood rearing, and general characteristics of some of the most common native bees in eastern North America, while highlighting the pollination of native plants and the mutualism between native plants and native bees.

When creating and managing thriving habitats for native bees, many factors such as seasonal phenology, nesting strategies, and flower preferences must be considered—and with approximately 3,600 species in North America (north of Mexico), there are many unique aspects to keep in mind when managing successful landscapes for bees. 

The board met to make changes on the new bylaws to get them approved by the membership at the annual meeting.

The Annual Meeting was conducted at the beginning to review the new bylaws and changes made by the board and then voted on by the chapter members in attendance. The current board members were introduced and the two new board members to be elected were introduced. A vote was taken which was unanimous to add Erin Hanson as our Secretary and Randy Kubichek as our Vice President. I announced that I would be ending by term as President at the end of 2024. The Treasurer's report was read giving us the balance of our account at the beginning of the year ($$9,188.56) and the current balance as of November 7th ($9,330.57). I announced that the board also approved the donation of $1,000.00 to Wild Ones National towards the annual fund drive, in appreciation of all the support this past year. I asked for someone to volunteer as head of the Pollinator Kit Sale committee to work with me with this project. Joyce Fritz volunteered and Alicia Griebenow will also help. A meeting will be scheduled in January to set up the work schedule for this sale. The next board meeting was announced for November 20th to work on scheduling meetings and events for 2024. Suggestions were welcome and yard tours were discussed. Finally, I reviewed the 'Great Plant Giveaway' from Prairie Nursery donation in October with the following as recipients: Heritage Hill State Historical Park, Edison School, Baird Creek Foundation, Ken and Judy Sikora for the benefit of Quarry Park, and chapter members. The meeting was adjourned and dinner and fellowship was enjoyed by everyone.

Join us for an enlightening webinar featuring authors, Neil Diboll and Hilary Cox, as they present their latest book, "The Gardener’s Guide to Prairie Plants." This comprehensive compendium is a treasure trove of knowledge for gardeners looking to incorporate native prairie plants into their landscapes. Neil and Hilary will delve into the making and application of this essential guide, sharing rich historical and ecological insights about prairie ecosystems, all while showcasing stunning images of prairie flora.