University of Maryland, College Park
OP-T2-19: Native Plants

University of Maryland strives to plant a minimum of 50% native plants throughout the grounds. No planting of known invasive species occurs and the Maryland DNR’s Do Not Plant list is honored. The arboretum and botanical garden are invaluable resources for Maryland's flagship campus. The native plant gardens are used to document, understand and learn about current and regionally important forces of nature and man. The gardens also serve to increase public environmental literacy for a sustainable future. The plants in our native gardens are grown from seeds collected during plant explorations conducted throughout Maryland. The seeds provide a bank of locally valuable Maryland plant species and wildflowers. The flowers will produce seeds to be sown to restore our native plant populations. Unlike lawns, native grasses and wildflowers can thrive without watering, mowing or weed killers. They are locally adapted to provide food and shelter for a variety of wildlife including migratory birds, insect pollinators, frogs and turtles. The Sun Garden is a prime example of one of Maryland’s native plant gardens. It displays grasses, flowers, shrubs and trees that thrive with a minimum of supplemental watering and fertilizers.