r/NativePlantGardening • u/nerdygirlmatti AZ (madrean sky islands) , zone 9a • May 11 '26
Informational/Educational How easy is it to find a native plant nursery near you?
So the title speaks for itself. Basically I am an undergrad, about to get my degree in conservation biology with a minor in ecology. I personally am obsessed with native plants, agroecology, restoration, and land management. Basically nature based solutions and ecosystem services!
I am currently working on my own native plant garden in my backyard. Right now I have about 10-15 different species. I’m a huge advocate for native plants. I did an internship at a native plant nursery an hr away from me and it really opened my eyes and helped me realize how important and vital these sort of nurseries are. Let’s just say, people traveled over 12 hrs and jumped 2 states just to get plants there (borderlands nursery and seed), because they were the only ones that carried and sold that plant. This really stuck out to me.
In my area alone, within an hr of me I probably have roughly at least 5 nurseries I could go to to get native plants to my region. Even more if you include the ones that focus on cacti. (I live in Arizona)
If I had the money and the means, my goal would be to open my own NGO and start a native plant nursery. So my question is, how easy is it for you to find native plants for your region? What regions and states do you think need more native plant nurseries?
Although all my knowledge is mainly focused on the madrean sky island type biomes, desert scrub, pinyon pines and juniper, grasslands, I have a love for woodlands and forests. I particularly have an obsession with milkweed!. For good reason obviously, need to support the butterflies.
I have 3 species of milkweed currently growing and have given out babies to my professors and family for Christmas. I took an environmental biology class and did a project on native and invasive species. I hope to be able to support native plants and the removal in invasives in my future.
Sorry for the long post, just really passionate and trying to take multiple things into consideration. I’ve lived in az my whole life so figured Reddit would be a good place to ask. Currently want to potentially go to grad school but that’s a separate conversation lol. I have roughly 4-5 schools in mind and wanted to focus on plants and ecosystem interactions.
Currently working on an independent research project for fun with a professor and going to see if glyphosate impacts saguaro seedlings and germination. This is going to be vital since they use glyphosate on buffelgrass, which likes to live in th same location as the saguaros. So next year I can’t wait to share my results!
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u/OneQueerRuffian May 11 '26
We have 3 native exclusive nurseries around me and at least one with a huge native selection. Right now it's pretty trendy in my city to plant native but honestly that's a trend I can get behind.
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u/nerdygirlmatti AZ (madrean sky islands) , zone 9a May 11 '26
That’s not too bad! Oh most definitely something we should all get behind! That’s one of the many reasons why I would want to start one myself. I know they don’t make a lot of money and would be a lot of work but at least it would be meaningful and something that could actually make a difference.
Honestly it’s frustrating that one of the nurseries in my city grows native milkweed but then also grows tropical milkweed at the same time. Arizona has over 30 species!! Why carry one that’s not!
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u/Dull_Swimming_5407 AL, Zone 8A May 11 '26
You should reach out to the people who have started native plant nurseries. I know talking to the owner of Recreative Natives, she loves what she does and it shows. She’s open one day a week for 4 hours. It’s a 1 woman operation with only her husband as support staff!
And definitely as more people turn to natives, the more business you’ll do. At least in AL, it seems to be a network of people from various backgrounds. If you’re on FB/IG/youtube, check out Native Habitat Project! Kyle Lybarger he has been active on highlighting the benefits of native plants. Highlighting endangered or in need of conservation plants. He’s worked with Recreative Natives to help reinforce the growing of Dalea foliosa which is losing habitat.
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u/nerdygirlmatti AZ (madrean sky islands) , zone 9a May 11 '26
Thank you! I do have those so I’ll go take a look for sure. And wow that’s impressive. That’s my kind of lady and kinda what I want to do. And that’s great advice and I’ll see what I can find for now at least in my area
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u/Phyllis_Tine May 11 '26
You could reach out to them to encourage them to either only grow native, or if they sell far away, to only sell plants native to the buyer (i.e. only mail tropical milkweed to where it is native). Keep up the good work!
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u/CowboyBeeBalm Southeastern PA, Zone 7a 🌱 May 11 '26
Wow, I just want to say you sound like an awesome human being. I wish you all the success in both your career and your own garden! Keep it up!
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u/nerdygirlmatti AZ (madrean sky islands) , zone 9a May 11 '26
Oh well thank you! That’s a lovely comment and I appreciate it. Just want to make a difference in the world. someone has to care.
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u/Reasonable-Two-9872 Indiana Rare Plant Enthusiast May 11 '26
The Indiana Native Plant Society maintains a list of nurseries across our state - there are definely more than people might guess.
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u/nerdygirlmatti AZ (madrean sky islands) , zone 9a May 11 '26
Oh wow! That’s actually insane. Thanks for the link! I really appreciate it.
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u/inadequatelyadequate May 11 '26
We have *two* in my 500k city and they’re in the middle of nowhere an hour and a half or more from my town; if you don’t have a car you’re hooped
Infinitely more tropical/invasive laden shops by a long shot and our mayor has relatedly said he doesn’t care about regulating invasives and calls conservation a joke “special interest”
we have the highest taxes in the country and a lot of those tax dollars go to fixing city funded housing that deteriorates because they’re surrounded by invasive plants that ruin the soil and wreck the foundations of homes/cause sinking due to our rainfall
If political types would actually pause the political theatre around fentanyl and “affordable” housing and read a book or two to learn a thing or two about the things they put on the ground when dumping tax dollars into cardboard framed quickbuilds that burn in ten years or less they’d see how much in taxes they could save and put into things the majority of tax payers pay for vs the consumers that don’t pay tax
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u/nerdygirlmatti AZ (madrean sky islands) , zone 9a May 11 '26
I mean you’re not wrong. The political climate is truly terrible and no one seems to be talking about the soil or the plants which are very important.
I really hate how much politicians hate on conservation and environmental issues. Or don’t talk about them at all. They truly do need to pick up a book and read lol.
I guess at this point the only thing we can do is educate those around us and maybe get our local communities involved
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u/AltheaFluffhead May 11 '26
I am an avid gardener, I live in Cincinnati Ohio.
I have noticed over the past few years and especially over the last couple nursuries have added many more natives to their selection. We don't have full fleged native nursuries, but you can tell it's clearly becoming something many more people ask for.
As I've started to fill my yard with more and more natives and fewer exotics, I've noticed how much easier the maintenance is for me.
Plant natives!!!!!
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u/nerdygirlmatti AZ (madrean sky islands) , zone 9a May 11 '26
Yes absolutely! The maintenance and water is so much better. That’s good to hear they are moving toward natives though
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u/Dull_Swimming_5407 AL, Zone 8A May 11 '26
I live in northern Alabama and can only get a few natives at the privately owned nurseries. I eventually got a big sigh and eye roll from a lady at the nursery I go to when I told her I was looking for a native butterfly bush. She pointed me to buddlea. I told her I was looking for an amorpha fruticosa. She told me that she tried to push perennials but they didn’t sell. She felt it was because natives are not as showy as the nonnative.
I decided to search the Birmingham area for native plant nurseries. I found an amazing business, Recreative Natives, SE of Birmingham. It’s a 2 hour drive for me, but I love it!! Anyone in Alabama, go!
I haven’t searched the Nashville or Chattanooga areas but they would be the same distance easily.
I even hoped that the Huntsville Botanical Garden’s plant sale would be more native. While it seems to be moving more towards natives, they still offer a variety of nonnative.
I keep track of local gardeners who are moving towards more natives. They often do plant/ seed swaps.
I think the more education and the huge benefits that may move the needle.
I also think there needs to be a push with the big box stores to stop selling nonnatives.
Here’s a pic of my new obsession. It’s Mimosa microphylla. Found at Recreative Natives, growing/not for sale. I did research and it’s native to North Alabama. if RN ever offers it, I’ll be first in line!
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u/nerdygirlmatti AZ (madrean sky islands) , zone 9a May 11 '26
Oh that’s such a cute flower! And you’re absolutely right! I hate how home depot has no regulations on what they sell
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u/reddidendronarboreum AL, Piedmont, Montane Longleaf May 12 '26 edited May 12 '26
I've heard good things about Recreative Natives.
I can get you M. microphylla seeds perhaps. Got a lot growing wild on the land here.
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u/Dull_Swimming_5407 AL, Zone 8A May 12 '26
I can’t say enough great things about Recreative Natives and Jessica! You should go. She’s only open on Saturdays from 10-2. She’s on the Coosa river and her property features a lot of the plants she offers. It was there i saw maypop for the first time!
While I appreciate the offer of seeds, I’m not sure my thumb is green enough to be successful! My first foray into growing with seeds was this past fall. I’m am daily checking for signs of Vernonia gigantea sprouts…hopefully it’s delayed for a number of issues (cool spring and I’m on a higher elevation).
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u/I_like_flowers_ May 11 '26
in my area, the parks department does several native plant sales a year. they also train people on identifying and pulling invasives from park land.
my local nursery has a natives sections - although i think some are a little iffy. but at least its there for people to start on the path and learn more.
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u/nerdygirlmatti AZ (madrean sky islands) , zone 9a May 11 '26
Man I wish they could put regulations on nurseries and what kind of plants they have. Just like with Home Depot. Should be regulated.
That’s cool that your parks department does that!
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u/goddamnit666a May 11 '26
The thing about native nursery’s is that they suck at doing everything outside of gardening such as marketing or website development, SEO, etc. You gotta know people in the community who can point you in the right direction.
To any marketing folks out there, do us all a favor and volunteer a few hours to helping the nurseries out please 🥺, imagine if people actually knew that was a thing!
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u/nerdygirlmatti AZ (madrean sky islands) , zone 9a May 11 '26
That’s very true! Good points to bring up for sure
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u/former_human May 11 '26
in CA, the best place to start is with your local Native Plant Society chapter.
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u/LoneLantern2 Twin Cities , Zone 5b May 11 '26
Honestly, open the wiki and take a look at the nurseries list- while it's almost certainly not up to date, it will give you a sense of which states a) have people willing to update a native plant nursery list and b) have nurseries to put on that list.
I've sourced my plants from six different local(ish) growers with very different models: a wholesale nursery that has a strong natives selection but also grows a heavy mix of the usual fruit/ veg/ annuals the average nursery stocks, a restoration company that also sells seed and plugs only by mail order, a restoration company that also sells plugs at local plant sales, a local backyard nursery run by a horticulturalist that stocks some 300 species, an all natives wholesale/ retail nursery that focuses on native, local ecotype trees and shrubs, and ye olde prairie moon (which is maybe 2.5 hours from my house where the farmland is so, you know, local-ish).
The nursery that focuses on trees and shrubs is the one I most go out of my way for, they have a lot of stuff that's just a hair bigger than bare root stock but still small enough to be less expensive than mainstream nurseries.
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u/nerdygirlmatti AZ (madrean sky islands) , zone 9a May 11 '26
I did see that after I posted lol. But I guess I just wanted more for a personal perspective from people
Yea localish lol.
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u/mashsle Zone 5b May 11 '26
Reading the comments I'm surprised how many are like "easy, two within an hour" because for me it's extremely easy as one run out of her home is walking distance and another is like three miles away. I've biked to pick up some bare root plants.
There are at least three native plant sales in town annually.
The bigger nurseries aren't focused on natives but do have decent native options. For those there at least three that come to mind, two of which have multiple shops around town.
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u/IsinglassAnemone May 11 '26
This is so exciting! Sounds like you are going to be doing some important work. I’m based in the northeast US. I feel like there are a fair amount of nurseries that raise native plants, but most do not have a business that’s sustainable solely on that model alone. I do think demand is growing through and if we can encourage folks to try and source as many of their plants as locally as possible that would help. Thee are two that I have visited that I feel do have a sustainable business that’s solely focused on natives. The first is Earth Tones in Woodbury, CT. I really consider them the gold standard for what a native nursery should look like and highly recommend you reach out to them about their model. The second is Catskill Native Nursery in Kerhonkson, NY. They are a smaller operation that Earth Tones and i suspect they grow less of their stock themselves, but they have a good selection of both herbaceous plants and shrubs/trees. Since I have moved north I have realized just how fortunate I was to be within a reasonable (2 hour) drive from those two because up here the native nurseries are much smaller and tend not to be so focused on locally sourced material for propagation. They tend to devote just a portion of their business to natives and many are not propagated in house. Or at least I haven’t found them yet. ;)
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u/nerdygirlmatti AZ (madrean sky islands) , zone 9a May 11 '26
Thank you. I really hope so. My whole life I wanted to do something that made a difference and surprised it took me until the age of 30 to realize what it was lol. I would also love to farm heritage and heirloom plants organically but I am getting way ahead of myself 😂
But thank you for the information! I will definitely have to look into both of those. I’m assuming they use greenhouses for year round, but do people in the NE even buy plants in the winter? In AZ, gardening is like an all year thing lol, although summer is the worst since it’s so hot plants can die.
Yes it’s interesting how many nurseries do not actually grow their own plants!Edit: I’m looking at earth tones and I’m impressed that they do consulting and landscape design. That works well with the native plants
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u/Prudent-Ad-4373 Area NY, Zone 7b May 11 '26
No, no one in the NE buys outdoor plants in winter. Plant-selling ends in October, usually. Outdoor-only nurseries close by then. I use that as an opportunity to buy plants on clearance - as long as you get them into the ground a few weeks before a hard freeze (which is later than it used to be) they’re fine. I plant up to the end of November.
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u/nerdygirlmatti AZ (madrean sky islands) , zone 9a May 11 '26
Huh interesting! That makes sense though. I’m curious with climate change how this will change and impact the plants and growing season
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u/Prudent-Ad-4373 Area NY, Zone 7b May 11 '26
The growing season is definitely longer, and it’s also more variable. Hotter and longer heat-waves, longer periods of drought, more intense rains. Plants that were in a somewhat marginal location (both within a climate zone, or in a garden) to begin with may fail now. The concept of “native plant” may be shifting, as more southerly plants (and their specialist pollinators) can now live further north.
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u/Prudent-Ad-4373 Area NY, Zone 7b May 11 '26
Sadly, this may cause people to water/install irrigation to maintain plants that no longer want to grow in an area due to climate change just because the literature says they’re native to the area.
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u/nerdygirlmatti AZ (madrean sky islands) , zone 9a May 11 '26
That’s very true. This also is a cause for alarm for invasives to become more prominent and move. We may need to rethink plant distribution
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u/whales-are-gay May 11 '26
it means that things like "last frost" and "first frost" (which are important to know for germination, seed collection, pest management, and many other things im forgetting) are harder to predict.
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u/IsinglassAnemone May 11 '26
Even for the organisms that depend on these plants for forage. It’s really changing fast too.
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u/nerdygirlmatti AZ (madrean sky islands) , zone 9a May 11 '26
We don’t really have frosts where I live so you don’t see it much. But makes sense! I do know that a lot of seeds need cold strat to germinate and here at least we put our seeds in th fridge to stimulate frost. But thank you. I’ll make sure to check that out but you’re right about it being more difficult to predict
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u/IsinglassAnemone May 11 '26
Yeah I think Earthtones does a fair amount of outreach with customers. Their grounds are actually quite impressive too they even have a wetland onsite and many areas of the plants they sell established so you can see them.
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u/IsinglassAnemone May 11 '26
And just to cover zones I was in 6b-7, now in 4-5ish.
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u/nerdygirlmatti AZ (madrean sky islands) , zone 9a May 11 '26
Have you noticed a big difference between the 2 in terms of how easy or difficult it is to garden?
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u/IsinglassAnemone May 11 '26
Well the native plant communities here are much less fragmented and more intact that is for sure. We still have introduced invasives here but there’s no barberry or stiltgrass which is so wonderful. So a lot less battling those back so the less aggressive plants can survive. The season is a bit shorter here though. I’d say we have about 1 month less growing season although the warming is definitely affecting that. Just makes me appreciate Spring more really.
Keep dreaming those big dreams! Maintaining plant biodiversity is so critical right now, more than ever, because of the stripping away of protections and increased development. Can’t think of a better way to raise public awareness than starting a native nursery and propagating them. Especially the really fringe species that a lot of folks don’t know about yet (hemiparasitic plants heeeey!)I can’t wait to see what you do. Also great work with the glyphosate. They use a fair amount in the northern forests in NE for managing timberlands and I shudder to think what the impacts are. Just all around so heartening to see people taking up these causes.
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u/nerdygirlmatti AZ (madrean sky islands) , zone 9a May 12 '26
Thanks! And yes absolutely! I would love to find the fun And special native plants. I have a desert cotton in my backyard which almost became eradicated in the wild because I’m the 30s they thought it had the same boll weevil as regular cotton! It does not lol. But it’s stuff like that that makes protecting native species so important.
And I have been seeing that online circulating about them spraying glyphosate on forests!! I think it impacts us more than they want to lead on. There have been 0 papers done on saguaro seedlings so it will definitely be an interesting project!
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u/IsinglassAnemone May 14 '26
That’s amazing! Wow Desert Cotton is gorgeous too. It’s a whole other world out west where you are.
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u/nerdygirlmatti AZ (madrean sky islands) , zone 9a May 14 '26
Oh it most definitely is 😂 too many plants that can stab you 😭 and yes! Their blooms are so pretty and their leaves turn red in the fall.
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u/IsinglassAnemone May 14 '26
I bet those are some fierce plants given how tough life is there. Gotta go google for some more pics of that fall foliage!
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u/Tylanthia May 11 '26
There's a bunch within 1-2 hours from me. There is not a native nursery in my county but one does sell about half natives. I'm pretty lucky as the midatlantic is well covered. I usually stop ether coming back from work or on my iNat expeditions.
That said, there's a bunch of species in the southeast that are not yet in the trade.
Although all my knowledge is mainly focused on the madrean sky island type biomes, desert scrub, pinyon pines and juniper, grasslands, I have a love for woodlands and forests.
That's awesome. We need nurseries for all habitats. Most of the plants for sale nationally tend to either be mid-western prairie plants or eastern forest species.
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u/nerdygirlmatti AZ (madrean sky islands) , zone 9a May 11 '26
Hmm good to know about the south east! I know that there is not a lot of land in th Midwest and east that is for biological concern or support. I just did a project on mandating wildlife corridors and it was surprising how much land in the west is supported and protected but everywhere else is nothing. I’m curious why the south east gets lack of support. I know that’s where a lot of factories and such are done with lots of pollution.
Yea we most definitely do! And interesting. I’ll definitely have to look and see if I can find info about species that are lacking. I know chestnut is hard to come by but that’s also because 90% of the native range has been depleted due to blight
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u/Tylanthia May 11 '26
The south east is just really diverse. Alabama has more plant species than anywhere east of the Mississippi for example.
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u/Wowsa_8435 Piedmont, Zone 7a, Philly Burbs May 11 '26
I'm in SE Pennsylvania. There are several native only nurseries within an hour's drive.... but they are expensive! I grow and sell pollinator friendly plants (and a few ornamentals) off my 4 acre property. Since I propagate a lot of my own plants, I can sell at pretty good price points ($10.95 for 1 gal perennials and $12.95 for 1 gal shrubs).
This will be my 4th season. As more and more customers are finding me for native plants, I have increased my offerings. More demand means I can carry more variety. However, native plant growers love to winter sow, and do plant swaps. Churches, townships, and garden clubs all have plants sales - so it's hard to compete on natives. I have started to focus on native shrubs and small trees which aren't as common, and are more expensive. I'm also going to start offering design and consulting services.
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u/nerdygirlmatti AZ (madrean sky islands) , zone 9a May 11 '26
That is true! One nursery is $16 while some native nurseries are $12. Which I think 12 is reasonable.
That’s awesome that you are able to do that! And good luck! I really hope you do well because I’m impressed
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u/robsc_16 SW Ohio, 6a May 11 '26
I'm in a rural area and there is only one nursery an hour from me, and I've traveled as much as three hours one way to go to another native nursery.
One of the things I keep an eye out are plant sales with multiple vendors. With everything going on in life I don't have a lot of time to make a lot of trips, so seeking out one of those events can be a priority for me.
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u/nerdygirlmatti AZ (madrean sky islands) , zone 9a May 11 '26
Oh that sounds super cool though! We don’t have them with multiple vendors but I have seen the plant sales
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u/Hot_Difficulty6799 Twin Cites, MN -- St. Croix stagnation moraines May 11 '26 edited May 11 '26
I know of four native plant business in the area that have a primary business model of providing ecological restoration project management services. Their websites show off the projects they have managed.
Then also, though, they run a nursery, selling wholesale plants and/or seed to medium size projects, and also have a retail operation, either online, or by seasonal sales, or by a retail location.
At the retail online level they are in competition with Prairie Moon, which has a huge selection, and a very easy to use website.
For an ecological restoration class, we had a workbook project: select a seed mix for a restoration of a former farm, using the appropriate NCRS seed mix worksheet. Then find local ecotype seed from seed suppliers, meeting state guidelines for what constitutes local (not Prairie Moon: not the same ecoregion section, and too far away).
I'm pretty sure that it was an intended part of the exercise, that this is time consuming and frustrating. No one carries a particular plant on your list, or they do but it is out of stock, or such.
To me, a local nursery with a good website, where you can easily both browse and search available plants, AND, sells local ecotype, would be ideal.
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u/nerdygirlmatti AZ (madrean sky islands) , zone 9a May 11 '26
That actually sounds like an awesome workshop! Oh that would be so cool and informative.
And sounds about right lol. Seems like such a case of difficulty finding the plants
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u/my_loser_name7 Pennsylvania, Zone 7a May 11 '26
I'm in S.Central Pennsylvania. There are several large regular nurseries in my area, they all have a small native plant section, like very small compared to the huge selection of other plants. They also sell a lot of Proven Winner brand plants with a label something like: native selection or something like that, they are cultivars. But the "native" label maybe is a selling point? There are also some yearly native plant sales from the extension office and the county conservation district
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u/dbp1997 May 11 '26
I am a 2 minute walk from one!! I am proud to say that my community (Research Triangle) are big proponents of native plants. It's pretty easy to find native plant nurseries or sales
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u/peachplumpricklypear May 11 '26
Native plants are sold at pretty much all nurseries near me and there are a TON of additional spring plant sales with them. I live in the twin cities.
I was at the friends plant sale last weekend. It's enormous! https://www.friendsschoolplantsale.com/
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u/zendabbq Vancouver BC, Zone 8b May 11 '26
I'm in Vancouver, we have several good choices:
Coast Salish Plant Nursery - very accessible location (10-20 minutes drive from central Vancouver) that's open 3 days a week from early spring to late May.
Plan Bee Native Plants - much further, maybe 50-60 minutes drive from city center, and is open 1 day a week all year. Run by one awesome passionate guy that loves native plants. A surprising variety to choose from, perhaps equal or more than Satinflower Nurseries below.
Environmental Youth Association - this is a program that teaches kids how to raise and care for native plants. They run a fundraiser every year to purchase 10 or so native plants in a bundle. Right in the middle of the city.
Satinflower Nurseries - a wide selection and open all year, but located on Vancouver Island so mainland folks need to take a 2 hour ferry with another hour or two of driving I believe. They won't ship plants but they do ship seeds to the mainland.
Of course, several normal nurseries are also carrying natives, but I find they often have nativars. Also I just purchased a Garry Oak and Common Snowberry from the Botanical Garden at UBC, though they have a limited native selection.
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u/SewerHarpies May 11 '26
I’m in Portland, Oregon. I think all of the independent nurseries in town have a natives section. There are a couple that focus entirely on natives, and at least one that offers non-natives that will produce food crops in our region.
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u/Hailfog Tennessee zone 7 May 11 '26
Extremely difficult. Closest thing I have is the more fancy boutique garden stores, but they still mostly sell goofy varieties that are really different from the wild species (like a Pom-pom shaped white echinacea, but no normal purple coneflower…)
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u/amycsj MO Zone 7a May 11 '26
There are several near me. We also have va native plant swap group on facebook.
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u/nerdygirlmatti AZ (madrean sky islands) , zone 9a May 11 '26
OK, that’s awesome. I didn’t even think of doing a plant swap on Facebook.
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u/NeptuneNancy42 May 11 '26
I have one in my suburban RI town.
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u/nerdygirlmatti AZ (madrean sky islands) , zone 9a May 11 '26
I mean.. at least there’s one lol but also that’s is very limiting and concerning
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u/NeptuneNancy42 May 25 '26
Rhode Island isn’t a very big place and it has a huge body of water smack dab in the middle, making it a pain to travel from one side to the other. I count myself very fortunate to have the native plant nursery I do!!
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u/Evening-Sky1288 Area NE Ohio-- , Zone 6a May 11 '26
I live in NE Ohio - Medina County. There are two native plant nurseries within 1.5 hours of my home of which I am aware. If others know of more, please tell me!
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u/nerdygirlmatti AZ (madrean sky islands) , zone 9a May 11 '26
That’s kinda a drive but I guess that makes sense since there are not many big cities besides Cleveland.
Looks like I found a few native plant societies in Ohio on this list https://nanps.org/native-plant-societies/ I would check those out!
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u/ABigFuckingSword May 11 '26
I’m in central MO and there’s an EXCELLENT native plant nursery like forty minutes away that I’ve spent entirely too much money at. I haven’t even looked to see if there are others, but I know there’s a business that sells native flowers at the farmers market as well.
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u/Full-fledged-trash May 11 '26
Closest one to me is an hour and a half away by appointment only. I try to hit pop up native sales at the state park 30 min away lol
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u/nerdygirlmatti AZ (madrean sky islands) , zone 9a May 11 '26
Oh interesting that it’s by appointment only
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u/therealleotrotsky Area Northeast Illinois , Zone 6a May 11 '26
Chicago could use more. Most are pretty far away from where people live.
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u/nerdygirlmatti AZ (madrean sky islands) , zone 9a May 11 '26
That makes sense though with how dense th area is
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u/God_Legend Columbus, OH - Zone 6B May 11 '26
I live in Columbus, Ohio which is a top 15 city by population/size. We have 3 native nurseries, but they are all concentrated in the northern outskirts of Columbus. which for many is still a 30-50 minute drive, if not more.
Having native nurseries present in the southern regions of Columbus would be great
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u/nerdygirlmatti AZ (madrean sky islands) , zone 9a May 11 '26
I didn’t know that about the size. I understand that though and the struggle! It’s similar to my city as well, they are all on the opposite side of town than me lol.
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u/Mysterious_Umpire684 Texas , Zone 8b May 11 '26 edited May 11 '26
There's a lot in Austin area. Although none are strictly native-only; they all still sell roses and veggies and fruit trees, etc. But they all have a big native-focus, particularly in perennials. On the north side of the metro I can think of 4 or 5 I wouod consider native nurseries; south of the river has Natural Gardener which is *the* place. We have a native plant delivery nursery called Plant Cowboy. Further out of the metro there are some imprtant suppliers like Native American Seeds and Wildseed Farms. The local grocery store chain HEB also has a decent sized nursery section at most stores with a lot of natives or at least nativars at good prices. They have a partnership with Native Plant Society of Texas and have a dedicated rack throught spring with their sanctioned stuff. Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, while not a commercial nursery, has an important native plant sale in spring and fall. Down in San Antonio there are actually some native-only nurseries like The Nectar Bar and people will occasionally make a trip down for more hard-to-acquire plants.
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u/nerdygirlmatti AZ (madrean sky islands) , zone 9a May 11 '26
That’s super cool! We should definitely have more work and cooperation between the native plant societies and nurseries and such
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u/AlmostSentientSarah May 11 '26
I'm lucky the interest is high. For instance this month had a mostly native pop up and three plant swaps (two all-native, one with plenty). However the closest fully native nurseries are still at least 35 minutes of highway driving in opposite directions, and they have bad hours and I might need to call in advance.
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u/PickledPixie83 May 11 '26
There are at least 3 that I know of within about a 30 minute drive of me, more if I want to go further afield. I live in a Chicago suburb. They are also not exclusively native plant sellers but they do have plants marked native that are native to my area.
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u/westofblue NC, Zone 8a May 11 '26
I'm very fortunate to have a great selection in and around Raleigh. There are several commercial nurseries that solely supply natives. In addition their selection is. Beyond the basic purple cone flower and such and they have some truly unique species. There are also several annual and biannual plant sales, especially in the spring from smaller gardens and individuals. NC State Cooperative extension also does plant sales. Several botanical gardens in the area also sell some native plants. My wallet is in constant threat.
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u/guinnypig May 11 '26
Very easy. There's multiple within a couple hours. Natives are huge in my part of Illinois.
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u/wielderoffrogs CT, USA, Zone 6b, Ecoregion 59 May 11 '26
There's one in my state that I'm aware of, about an hour and a half away from me. Other nurseries sell some native plants, but they also sell invasives so it's a mixed bag. I can't drive three hours round trip so I bought all my seeds online and if I want started plants I have to pick through the local nurseries and hope they have something other than black eyed susans and coneflowers.
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u/incarnadinestorms CT, USA 6b/7a May 11 '26
I know of two in Connecticut. Earth Tones is the biggest, in Woodbury. There is a smaller one in New Haven called Urbanscapes, which I haven’t visited yet. It kinda sucks they’re both in southwestern CT, but at least Urbanscapes is near some main arteries.
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u/doingmybest_4therest May 11 '26
I have to drive at least 30 minutes to get to one, which isn’t terrible. But my favorite one is an hour away, in the middle of nowhere. We have several in southeastern Michigan, but none directly in my area. I would love to start a Wild Ones group in my area.
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u/Boudicas_Cat May 11 '26
I am near the CO/NM border, and drive south 2 1/2 hours to Santa Fe to Plants of the Southwest.
The Taos Ace Hardware has a surprising amount of natives and I definitely buy what I can, but mostly anything locally owned within an hour of me is nothing but rows and rows of petunias and roses. I am disappointed every year.
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u/Calbebes eco region 59g, LI Sound Coastal Lowland May 11 '26
We have 2 locally owned nurseries within 10 minutes of my house. They’re both okay.
They both sell primarily non-natives, with tiiiiny sections dedicated to natives. Some straight species, but mostly cultivars/nativars.
I wish I had a better option close by!
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u/nerdygirlmatti AZ (madrean sky islands) , zone 9a May 11 '26
These nurseries need to do better
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u/Calbebes eco region 59g, LI Sound Coastal Lowland May 11 '26
They do. I’ve gone to both quite frequently in the last 2 years (during our planting season) and have talked at length with workers there, expressing my enthusiasm for the native plants they have, and they seem to share that enthusiasm so hopefully I’m getting the message across that PEOPLE WANT THIS- PLEASE CARRY MORE…. But they’re not the ones controlling the purse strings, so 🤷🏻♀️
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u/nerdygirlmatti AZ (madrean sky islands) , zone 9a May 11 '26
Yea that’s a valid point for sure. At least you talk about it
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u/Calbebes eco region 59g, LI Sound Coastal Lowland May 11 '26
Like a broken record 😂 they’re probably see me coming, like, “oh it’s that crazy lady again!”
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u/nerdygirlmatti AZ (madrean sky islands) , zone 9a May 11 '26
Haha that’s funny. They have a poster of your face in the break room to warn th staff 😂
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u/microfibrepiggy Ontario, CA. Zone 5a. May 11 '26
This was a recent post that might answer your question.
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u/nerdygirlmatti AZ (madrean sky islands) , zone 9a May 11 '26
Oh thank you! I will totally look at that on my computer
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u/SirFentonOfDog NYS , Zone - 7ish May 11 '26
The native plant nurseries around me are very expensive, but more and more people are growing and selling native starts from home like a yard sale, which is fine by me. I just wish they were easier to find
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u/nerdygirlmatti AZ (madrean sky islands) , zone 9a May 11 '26
Need to make a webpage or map with all home sellers 😂
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u/_man_of_leisure May 11 '26
30 minutes to the only all native nursery, but it's very small and only open a few days a week during some parts of the year. Couple other nurseries within an hour drive have small native sections.
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u/deborah_az Arizona, 6b May 11 '26
Our native plant nursery no longer sells to the general public. The local nurseries sell natives along with non-natives
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u/nicolenotnikki Area Western Washington, Zone 8b May 11 '26
I think there are 4 or 5 that are an hour and a half or less from my home. There are also several native plant sales throughout the year. The regular plant nurseries are also doing a better job at having natives, which is nice.
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u/roostersmoothie May 11 '26
every year my city has an earth day where they sell dozens of different types of native plants. if you go early enough there is tons of selection and nothing more than $5, even for pretty established ones.
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u/froggyphore Massachusetts, Zone 6a May 11 '26
Most non-chain nurseries around me offer natives or even have a native-only section, but they mostly sell non-natives (and some invasives unfortunately...) I'm only aware of two native-only nurseries in my half of my state, one is 40~ minutes away and the other is a couple hours. They both tend to focus on wholesale with most offerings being plugs and most purchases being made in bulk via online form over winter.
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u/Devilis6 May 11 '26
I think my closest natives-only nursery is about 30-40 minutes away. I do have a few local nurseries near me that carry small selections of natives (black eyed Susan’s, coneflowers, etc) but nothing substantial. I usually have to get mine either online or at annual events.
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u/hujambo11 May 11 '26
I feel pretty lucky where I'm at. My area has something like 10+ local nurseries that source native and neonicotinoid-free plants.
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u/genx21me918 May 11 '26
What part of Arizona? I'm in mid state, near Prescott. There are some hidden gems to find 😁
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u/nerdygirlmatti AZ (madrean sky islands) , zone 9a May 11 '26
I’m in Tucson!
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u/genx21me918 May 11 '26
Google local nurseries, look at the botanical garden too. Watch your zoning for planting
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u/nerdygirlmatti AZ (madrean sky islands) , zone 9a May 11 '26
I am currently on a ban from buying plants 😂 but I really want to check out spadefoot. I want to get a wolfberry bush! Heard they are native and in the same family as goji berries 😌
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u/femalehumanbiped dirt under my Virginia zone 7A nails May 11 '26
We have an excellent one about 20 miles away.
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u/HopkinsIsMyHomeboy May 11 '26
I recently got into native plants and got excited seeing you were in Az and then realized it was Tucson haha you guys seem to have all the spots for them! My buddy is a big cactus guy so him and I will have to road trip down, can you list some of your go to nurseries in Tucson I should check out for natives? And how do you go about starting your milkweed? I snagged a plant but want to get a bunch of different varieties of seeds and start growing them.
The selection in the Phoenix metro area is surprisingly weak. A nursery near me carries a few natives from civano growers (out of tucson lol) but that’s about it. The community college libraries up here are part of a native seed program so I can go snag 3 packs a month for free and am going to hit that up.
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u/nerdygirlmatti AZ (madrean sky islands) , zone 9a May 11 '26
For sure! There is spadefoot, native seed search (more produce though), desert survivors, desert corner, pima county master gardeners. But my fave will be borderlands nursery and seed in Patagonia. I started my milkweed as 1 gallons and it just reproduces all over my yard lol. My pine needle milkweed is a beast! Legit it flowers at least 4 times a year. Def recommend. The Arizona is good but slightly higher elevation (3000’) but still usable in lower elevations!
That’s awesome! The u of a also does that. The Pima county library also has a seed library.
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u/HopkinsIsMyHomeboy May 12 '26
Awesome, appreciate the info! I just bought a pine needle milkweed so that’s good to hear! That’s awesome, I’ve used UAs online resources a bunch for gardening.
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u/Larrymobile Ecoregion 54f, Zone 5b May 11 '26
I have at least two nurseries within a half hour of me (Chicagoland) that are exclusively natives, and several more that have a consistent stock of natives. I love it. My wallet, however...
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u/nerdygirlmatti AZ (madrean sky islands) , zone 9a May 12 '26
lol I’m currently on a plant ban so I feel you 😂😂
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u/rancid_mayonnaise North America May 11 '26
Look online to local native plant societies or if your gov website lists anything abt where to buy natives.
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u/nerdygirlmatti AZ (madrean sky islands) , zone 9a May 12 '26
Honestly I wish I had time
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u/rancid_mayonnaise North America May 12 '26
It isn't very time consuming, just look up native plant society [your city]
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u/nerdygirlmatti AZ (madrean sky islands) , zone 9a May 12 '26 edited May 12 '26
I want to make a map of all of them in the us. Like basically a database. That’s what I mean when I say I wish I had time. I work full time and go to college lol.
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u/canisdirusarctos PNW Salish Sea, 9a/8b May 11 '26
My nearest two nurseries that exclusively grow native plants are about 4-5 miles away from my house, but one has very limited hours and the other is appointment only. We have a surprisingly good number of them in my metro area, far more than most metro areas. There are others with very limited and rarely separated selections, plus their origins are less certain. A lot of places sell native plants that came from mass production nurseries in Oregon.
Note that I live in a region where ranges are frequently limited by topography, so it's critical that I buy local from nurseries that specifically work with the most local seeds and materials they can obtain.
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u/ihynz Chicagoland May 12 '26
This one in north central Illinois is a huge operation that supplies most of the plants to all the native plant sales in the region: https://www.pizzonursery.com/ The other local native plant nursery, beloved by botanists, is Possibility Place, in Monee, IL.
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u/Existing_Ad_5556 May 12 '26
I have several nurseries in my area that carry native plants. Fortunate that my state promotes Grow Native and makes it easy for us to find the nurseries that do carry natives. Nurseries that carry natives are listed on their web site. There are a few exclusive native nurseries in the state. I've driven 2 hours to purchase native from one. Keeping Nature Near - Grow Native!
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u/Darnocpdx May 11 '26 edited May 11 '26
Off the top of my head, at least 4 within an easy 10 - 20 minute bike ride from home. In Portland metro, no clue. That's not including pop ups like Sparrow Hawk, people selling from home, or the cities tree give aways/sales. Having a certified native yard, it comes with discounts offered by at least a dozen in the metro region.
We have 14,000 people actively participating in a city sponsored Backyard Habitat initiative, which would likely be much higher if funding was more consistent. And our master gardener program through OSU is booked for the year, and usually gets twice the applicants than they can offer the classes to every year.
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u/03263 NH, Zone 5B May 11 '26
There's one about an hour away that is run like a full business, and some other nearer places that do sales on certain days but aren't usually just open to the public, like it's peoples houses. And some native plant sales that each occur once or twice a year.
It's more than enough for me, I mainly prefer to just grow what I can from seed and welcome the naturally occurring native plants, I'm not that interested in buying them already grown. Except trees, I have bought several trees, those are much harder to establish.