Free Compost Bins to Montgomery County Residents

Visit the Department of Environmental Protection's collection of composting resources for information on how to compost.

Large capacity bins:

Assemble in 2 minutes (no tools!).
Adjustable sizing to fit large or small yards.
Holds more than 20 bags of leaves and grass (20+ cubic foot capacity).
Slide off for easy turning or access.
Lightweight (6 lbs), easy to move or store.
UV-stabilized for 5-10 years of use.
More than 24,000 already working in Montgomery County yards and gardens.

Visit the American Native Plants Nursery

4812 E. Joppa Road, Perry Hall, MD 21128
(by appointment only - or see the schedule below for open dates)

or call at 443-552-7022 or 866-538-0714

What is a native plant?
Native plants grew in your region prior to European contact. They evolved over a very long period. Any plant that couldn’t tolerate your climate with its annual temperatures, droughts, rainfall, snowfall, standing water, sand, clay, salt spray, wind storms, local pollinators, wildlife use or what have you, died. Plants that could tolerate your climate (with no human assistance!) flourished. The native plants that flourished and evolved in your area did so because they had local native pollinators and seed dispersers. They also had ways of dealing with pests, such as attracting beneficial insects. They evolved and reproduced by providing food, shelter and habitat for other native species, such as birds, butterflies, hummingbirds, bees, beneficial insects, and mammals.

Why should you grow native plants?
Native plants in the right location and on established are low maintenance, attract wildlife, do not need fertilizer, do not need pesticides, do not need watering, and can help reduce air pollution.

Native plants don’t need fertilizer. Fertilizer runoff into lakes, streams, and bays cause excess algae growth, which depletes oxygen. Oxygen depletion harms marine life. A watershed study in Mississippi found that nearly one-half of nitrogen fertilizer and nearly one-third of phosphorous fertilizer ran-off from its intended location and into local waterways.

Native plants don’t need pesticides, herbicides, or fungicides. Studies from Yale University indicate that the average suburban lawn is deluged with 10 times as much chemical pesticide per acre as farmland. These synthetic chemicals not only kill the pests but the beneficial insects as well. And many have been linked to cancer in humans and pets and harm wildlife. Not only that, but the pest insects can eventually build up a tolerance to the pesticides creating a cycle of needing stronger pesticides and different chemicals. And every time it rains, what happens? Those chemicals run off into our waterways, winding up in the drinking water of someone downstream or in fish or plants eaten by people (or otherwise negatively impacting environmental health). Municipal water treatment systems may add chlorine to kill bacteria, but they do not test for nor treat synthetic pesticides – some of which are suspected carcinogens and/or mutagens.

Native plants require less watering. They increase the soil’s capacity to store water, therefore they can significantly reduce water runoff and flooding. According to US News and World Report, some 40 million acres of America are covered in lawns, making turf grass our largest irrigated crop and a typical lawn can soak up 10,000 gallons of water a summer, which can increase your water bill by 50 percent and cause legal troubles in drought-stricken parts.

Native plants help reduce air pollution from exhaust fumes and chemical drift, and noise pollution. Planting a natural landscape instead of a lawn, reduces your need for gas powered polluting garden tools. One gas powered mower emits 11 times the air pollution of a new car for each hour of operation, string trimmers 21 times and blowers 34 times. Noise pollution robs people of precious relaxation. Excessive carbon from the burning of fossil fuels contributes to global warming. Plants, on the other hand, remove carbon from the air.

Native plants provide food and shelter for wildlife. Because they evolved together, many wildlife species depend on native plants and vice versa. If you want butterflies, plant larval food plants as well as nectar plants. If the butterflies have a place to lay eggs, food for the caterpillars, and fresh water, as well as nectar, they will be more attracted and will remain in your yard, than if it was an acre of well-manicured lawn. The same goes for other wildlife.

Are non-native plants really harmful?
Many ornamental species are beautiful and useful in the garden. However, many also are invasive and will spread to natural environments where they out-compete or smother native plants. They can do this because their natural environmental controls, pests, or diseases are absent here. Many of these plants provide little food and shelter for native wildlife. Many ornamentals also require extra care and maintenance, using up our valuable resources such as water, especially during drought.

Many plant nurseries will sell invasive plants to the unknowing consumer. The nursery should list plants that are native, and you do not want to purchase non-native plants listed as “aggressive”.

How do I use native plants in my landscaping?
Use native plants not only to enhance the beauty of your garden without the extensive upkeep of typical nursery plants, but to replace high-maintenance areas such as lawn, so that you do not need to use gas-powered, polluting, garden tools. Native plants can also work with your yard’s microclimates, so you don’t feel like you have to change the drainage in your yard to grow beautiful plants.