After the Storm: Get $25 Toward Planting a Maryland Native Tree

Marylanders Plants Trees is a state program designed to get homeowners across the state to plant 100,000 native trees in two years' time. To help the initiative, Gov. Martin O'Malley announced a continuation of a program that gives $25 coupons toward native trees purchased from designated nurseries in the state. The coupons can be downloaded from the Maryland Plants Trees program website.

We have included a list of participating nurseries in Anne Arundel County at the end of this story. Only specific native trees are eligible for the rebate, which consumers get at the register—the nurseries fill out the paperwork and get the refund. There are dozens and dozens of trees and shrubs on the list.

Greenstreet Gardens is one of the local nurseries participating in the program. Maggie Wiles is the nursery manager for the Lothian grower. She said that they have grouped the eligible native plants together in a section of the nursery to make it easier for customers to select native trees.

"We have about 50 percent of the trees on the list," Wiles said.

She said that Greenstreet also gives the discount to buyers who don't know anything about the program and don't walk in with a coupon.

"It is programmed in to the cash register. We take a copy of the receipt and the office fills out a form to get the rebate," Wiles said.

Ray Greenstreet, the owner of the nursery said that now is a great time to plant trees because of the rain we've had in the area that has made the ground a little softer. In addition, Greenstreet is marking down their trees the first few weeks of September.

The typical tree on the list costs over $50. Wiles said that this year they are offering seven-gallon shade trees like maples, dogwoods, pines and oaks for $79. After the rebate, customers would pay $54 plus tax.

"That is a good size tree which people can usually fit in their vehicle. It meets the requirement for the rebate," Wiles said.

Overall Wiles said that there has been renewed interest by customers in native trees and plants at Greenstreet Gardens.

"There has been big time interest in this issue, and so we have tried to make it consumer-friendly," she said.

The governor's office reported that in 2010 under the program, 50,089 trees were planted by individual homeowners, meeting the governor's target of 50,000 trees planted statewide.

In addition, the governor's office said that nearly one million trees were planted on public lands by the "Forest Brigade," which uses inmate labor in partnership with the Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services, the State Highway Administration and the Department of Natural Resources.

These are the nurseries participating in the Marylanders Plant Trees program:

This story previously ran on Earth Day, April 22, 2011. It has been updated with new information.