Where to Buy Native Plants
Plus Some Love for Native Spring Bloomers
If you really want to find plants that are native to your ecoregion and designed by nature, your best bet are nurseries or online retailers that specialize in native plants.
You can try your luck at mainstream garden centers and big box stores but, as discussed in previous posts, the majority of what they carry will be human-designed cultivars – even in the section labeled “natives.” Also, their definition of “native” may not correspond to your particular location. Finally, the labeling may make it hard to know what you’re dealing with even if they do carry the good stuff.
The bottom line is that it’s easier to make a profit selling fancy cultivars than native species. As consumers, we’re easily seduced by the novelty and drama of hybrids. For the nursery trade, growing clones from cuttings is more cost-effective than propagating seedlings from hand-collected seeds. In addition, horticulturalists can trademark their cultivars. In other words, the economic incentive structure is weighted decisively against natives.
In much of the midwestern, southern and eastern U.S. right now, various species of native redbuds (genus Cercis) are coming into bloom. These are delightful trees, beloved by bumblebees, butterflies and birds. The other day I received a mail-order catalog from a well-known mainstream nursery. Among its many dazzling cultivated offerings was Pink Pom Poms Redbud (Cercis ‘Pink Pom Poms’). The copy reads: “The beloved native redbud just got better. An improved version with fully double blooms and a deeper flower color than any other redbud.” Also, it pointed out, “This hybrid is sterile, so there are no messy seedpods to clean up.” I mean, they might as well be selling very tidy throw pillows.
Redbuds are already gorgeous. Who was clamoring for their “improvement”? Has anyone checked whether those “fully double blooms” with their “deeper flower color” are even accessible to pollinators, or whether the trees’ sterility has decreased nectar and pollen flow? Pretty sure the answers are “no one,” “no,” and “no.”
Which brings us back to nurseries and online retailers specializing in native plants. These are the places where you can be confident you’re getting the real deal. They’re relatively few in number, but a) they’re doing valuable work for minimal compensation and b) the more we patronize them, the more expansion of this sector we’re likely to see. So it’s worth our while to make the extra effort to seek them out.
A good place to start your quest is the PlantNative Nursery Directory, which allows you to search by your state. Similarly, the Lady Bird Johnson Wildlife Center Suppliers Directory allows you to search by state or zip code. Neither of these sources is exhaustive, though. Probably the single best source is your local native plant society or Wild Ones chapter. If you join you’ll get access to all of the members’ collective and nuanced wisdom.
I’ve barely scratched the surface of native nurseries within striking distance of my home. Among those I’ve visited, though, are Lauren’s Garden Service in Ellicott City, MD, Nature by Design in Alexandria, VA, and the Earth Sangha Wild Plant Nursery in Springfield, VA. Each has its own personality, but all three have been great resources so far.
The other avenue to consider is online sellers. Izel Native Plants, Prairie Moon Nursery, and Ernst Seeds come highly recommended. I’ve recently received seeds from Prairie Moon and I’m awaiting a delivery of plugs from Izel as I write this.
If you know of good native plant nurseries in your area, please list them in the comments. I’m sure others will be interested. Thank you!
Speaking of blossoming redbuds…here in DC we’re smitten with Yoshino cherry trees. These are the trees that encircle the Tidal Basin, cloud-like, and were a gift from Japan in 1912. They were at their glorious peak last week. It probably goes without saying, though, that they’re native to Asia. The good news is, in addition to redbuds, there are plenty of delightful spring bloomers – many of them largely forgotten – that are native to all parts of North America. For example, think about using native cherries or plums (plants in the Prunus genus) or serviceberries (genus Amelanchier), instead of Asian cherries. There are Prunus and Amelanchier species for just about every region of the U.S. You’ll get the blooms plus happy bugs and birds.
Similarly, if you can’t imagine spring without that cheerful yellow pop from (non-native) forsythia, consider spicebush (genus Lindera) as an alternative. There are Lindera species native to much of the eastern half of the U.S. These shrubs look and smell lovely and you can make tea from them.
Happy spring plant-shopping and petal-peeping!
Resource
Kim Eierman, “Finding Native Plant Nurseries,” EcoBlog.