Once you’ve decided to grow native and have probably identified some native plant options that you’re interested in, the next question is where to go to find them.
The native plant movement has grown significantly in recent years, but it still hasn’t penetrated all corners of the gardening world so you still may need to seek out specialty businesses for your needs, depending on where you live.
Finding Native Plants for Sale: What to Look For
An independent local nursery or garden center is an ideal choice, allowing you to support local growers and small business owners for your planting needs.
In many regions of the United States (as well as Canada and other countries) you can find nurseries specializing in native plants, or at least a larger garden center that has a good selection of natives.
You will often need to decide how long of a trip is worth it to you depending on how close your options are.
Also look out for special appearances: native plant nurseries often visit farmers markets, festivals and other regional events so you may be able to find some visiting a location closer to you or get a chance to visit multiple vendors in one spot. It’s common to find a single-day “native plant sale” with a variety of sellers at special times during the year in Spring and Fall, the best planting times.
You can follow specific businesses on social media to stay on top of future events and some nurseries will allow you to choose and buy from their stock online and pick them up in person at a later date.
In other locations, however, finding dedicated native plant nurseries can be difficult. If a big box store or supercenter is your only local shopping option, you will likely find some natives there but the selection will likely be limited.
And there is also another element to consider. The natives available at big box stores are likely to be more popular cultivars (cultivated varieties) rather than straight species.
Many of these have been bred for particular traits desirable to humans but in some cases not as useful for wildlife, which is an important factor for most native plant gardeners.
In addition, there can be concerns about the impact of cultivars hybridizing with wild populations. There has been much debate as to the value of planting cultivars (sometimes called nativars) rather than the straight species, and that’s a decision that each individual gardener will have to make.
Another consideration is the “ecotype” of the plant; that is, where it has evolved to grow. The earlier point about supporting local growers isn’t just about supporting their business; it’s also because their stock is bred and grown in your own region rather than a long distance away in a different climate. This can still be an issue even within a plant’s native range: a plant whose genetic stock is from the warmer north may bake when planted in the hotter south, for example.
Online Shopping for Native Plants
Online shopping is an easy and consistent method for those in areas without a native plant nursery, or for gardeners pressed on time and looking to expend less effort.
When shopping online at unfamiliar sites, you want to do a little research on the sourcing. Make sure you are dealing with ethical sellers and not ones who dig up their plants from the wild. Looking to make sure the stock is nursery propagated will help dispel any concerns.
Buying Native Seeds or Plants?
Another important consideration for you is whether you want to buy native seed and start the plants yourself, or whether you are looking for seedlings or plugs.
Buying native seeds will lower the cost significantly, but you’ll have to wait much longer to see plants mature and bloom. It also requires a bit more gardening knowledge if you plan to grow from seed and transplant seedlings to your garden. If you’re sowing either a seed mix or individual species in their permanent location, however, you’ll just need to follow the instructions.
If you are buying from seed, you’ll also have more quality options online. If you’re in a location without many native plant nurseries nearby, this can help greatly. And shopping online also helps you find less common species that aren’t as readily available, and allows you to find straight species instead of cultivars as well.
Look for the variety of species available and any perks like low prices, free shipping or other benefits. Whenever possible, try to find seeds that were grown as close to you as possible, to help with the ecotype consideration from above. Remember that plants and wildlife don’t recognize state borders, so for most people it will be completely fine going a couple of states over; you normally want to avoid a seller from a completely different climate from you. Also know that some nurseries don’t only sell stock from one particular area. Prairie Moon, for example, carries genotypes from MN, WI, IA, and IL and will use the appropriate stock for buyers from those states (source).
But at the end of the day, don’t let these considerations stop you from getting started; anything that helps get natives in the ground will do a lot of good, and will help you get a jump start on your new beautiful garden.
How to Find Native Plants for Sale in My State/Area
There are a few directories online that catalog native plant nurseries available in particular.
The most comprehensive source we’ve found is the Reddit Native Plant community.
If you don’t find a nursery close to you or want to supplement those with more options, you can search for your state and evaluate the results. As we’ve said, you should consider the species available, the sourcing, and the location of the seller, in addition to always-important factors like price.
No matter what method you choose for buying native plants or seed, you’ll soon start to experience the myriad of benefits both personal and environmental.
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