State Laws, Proclamations, and Resolutions
Native Plant Legislation by State
Before 2023, several states had laws, proclamations, or resolutions recognizing the importance of native plants for a day, week, or month, but very few. Since 2016, Colorado has celebrated Native Plants Week during the second week of June.
Ohio was the first state to pass a law in July of 2019 recognizing the importance of native plants for an entire month, making April, Ohio Native Plant Month (www.OhioNativePlantMonth.org).
In March of 2023, Mississippi became the second state to pass a law recognizing the month of April as Mississippi Native Plant Month. Also in March, California passed a recurring resolution (ACR 49) recognizing April as Native Plant Month. New Jersey passed a permanent joint resolution on April 14, 2023, making April, New Jersey Native Plant Month. Other states are currently working on similar state laws and permanent resolutions or proclamations to recognize the importance of native plants every year.
In the fall of 2022, The Garden Club of America launched an initiative to request proclamations from all 50 Governors to make April 2023 Native Plant Month in every state. The District of Columbia and 48 states issued proclamations in 2023! Below are the state proclamations from 2023 and 2024, and information about existing state laws, proclamations, or resolutions.