The Gardens were planted in 2022 by neighbors who wanted to support the environment through gardening. Everything you see in these gardens is a native plant that plays a role in our local ecosystem. Our mission: to learn from each other about native gardening practices, while making our neighborhood beautiful and building connections with each other.
We have been supported by the PG County Department of the Environment, the Neighborhood Design Center, and the Chesapeake Bay Trust. Starting in 2025 we connected with the Habitat Protection Program of the PG Audubon Society, which offers free guidance in gardening with native plants to county residents. Visit www.pgaudubon.org/habitats for more information.
We work in the gardens throughout the year and would love your input and your help. If you're interested, click here to find our next gardening day:
Help us document all the living things in our gardens. Create an account in iNaturalist (we're happy to help) or send us the photos and we will post them for you.
inaturalist.org/projects/carole-highlands-pollinator-gardens
Plants and critters that we enter in iNaturalist are shown on a map, so you can see where those species have be found - in our neighborhood, our watershed, and around the world.
What's a watershed? It's where all the rainwater goes. The Carole Highlands Gardens are in the Sligo Creek Watershed, part of the larger Anacostia River Watershed. When it rains, everything that can be carried by water washes down into Sligo Creek; if it doesn’t get stuck there, it ends up in the Anacostia River. Read all about it:
Your generous donations help us maintain and expand our gardens, promoting biodiversity and community engagement. Every contribution, big or small, makes a difference. Join us in making a positive impact on our environment. *Please write "Community Gardens" in the memo line of your donation.*
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