Plant Grateful is back for its 6th year: Saturday April 18th at the BRCM Natural Playground

Saturday, April 18th

BRCM Natural Playground, 190 Race Ave., Waynesboro

Plant Grateful is back and better than ever in 2026! Celebrate beautiful plants and get a sneak peak at what local farmers are offering this spring. Join us for a community plant swap, farmer's plant sale, workshops, children's activities, music, and more!

This year we are making Plant Grateful extra special. We will be serving homemade soup, salad, and cookies, and we are excited to serve food made by Chef Laura Bon Cash for the event!

Lunch will be from 11 AM-1 PM. Donations are appreciated. All proceeds will go to a local non-profit.

There will also be Dulcimer music provided by the Mountain Dulcimers and morning drinks by Kline's Espresso Bar. Children's activities will be offered by a number of vendors.

Event Workshops

10:00 AM: Event opens and vendors available!

11:00 AM: Spring Ecology Walk with Little Bluestem Nursery (free, but donations accepted)

12:30 PM: Attention as Devotion: Writing Poetry from Nature with The Writer's Well (free)

1:30 PM: Sourdough from your Native Yeast with Poet and Printmaker Nurseries ($5 fee)

For more information on each workshop, see below!

10:00 AM

Blue Ridge Children's Museum Natural Playground

The mission of the Blue Ridge Children's Museum is to provide families with an affordable, fun, dynamic and hands-on activity center for families to explore local natural, historical, and cultural resources through the arts, sciences, and humanities.

11:00 AM-1:00 PM

Lunch

Lunch will be served from 11 AM to 1 PM with proceeds benefitting the Blue Ridge Children's Museum.

11:00 AM

Spring Ecology Walk with Little Bluestem Nursery

Free*

Join a plant walk along the South River to learn plant identification, basic tracking of ecological patterns in a place, and take time to connect with the plants in a deep, respectful, and heartfelt way. Information will be provided about edible and medicinal aspects of the plants along the walk.

*This event is free, but donations are accepted.

12:30 PM

Attention as Devotion: Writing Poetry from Nature with The Writer's Well

Free*

Join us for a half-hour workshop on the art of noticing and giving voice to the natural world. We'll read a few nature-inspired poems together. Following their lead, we will immerse our attention in the South River Greenway before moving to the page with prompts to guide our writing.

*Please bring your favorite notebook and pen.

1:30 PM

Sourdough from your Native Yeast with Poet and Printmaker Nurseries

$5*

Did you know you can capture wild microbes from your backyard for a totally local sourdough starter? The Eastern Red Cedar (Juniperus virginiana) is actually a juniper relative, not a cedar. Like rye, it fosters an incredible microflora on the surface of its fruit. You can harness that to make a starter for alcohol and bread. Come and learn the concepts of basic fermentation and how you can create your own sourdough starter from this highly ubiquitous North American tree species!

*For this workshop, there will be a $5 charge to be paid day-of, and attendees will take home a sourdough sample! If you are interested in attending, please e-mail stories@stonesoupbooks.net.