Takoma Park, MD Landscaping Rules: Native Plants (2026)

Takoma Park is widely recognized as a leader in urban native plant advocacy. The city actively promotes native plant landscaping through educational programs, plant sales, community gardens, and partnerships with organizations like the Audubon Naturalist Society (headquartered nearby in Chevy Chase). The Safe Grow Act of 2013, which banned cosmetic pesticide use, indirectly supports native plant gardening by encouraging chemical-free landscapes where native species thrive. Native plant gardens, meadows, and pollinator habitats are explicitly welcome in the city and are not subject to weed or grass height enforcement when they are clearly maintained. The city's tree canopy goals under Chapter 12 align with native tree species preservation. Takoma Park Community Gardens promote native edible and ornamental plantings. The Sligo Creek watershed restoration program emphasizes native riparian plantings along stream buffers. Montgomery County's RainScapes program offers rebates for converting turf to native plant rain gardens and conservation landscapes, available to Takoma Park residents. The city does not have a formal native plant ordinance requiring their use but policy and community culture strongly favor them.