Nurseries and Seed Sources

The nurseries listed here are good suppliers of native plant material, based on our research and site visits. Our decision to include them is an independent editorial one; they are not paying for advertising. We include a broad diversity of suppliers, to serve the different needs of both amateur gardeners and professional landscapers— everything from small one-person operations to large nurseries selling millions of plants each year. If a nursery is both wholesale and retail, we list it under the retail category since these nurseries are open to anyone.

There is no single nursery with a comprehensive supply of native species in all sizes, so expect to use a variety of sources. We highly recommend contacting any nursery ahead of time to check their availability.

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Retail: Large Nurseries & Garden Centers

These suppliers are larger retail operations with regular hours. The majority carry a mix of native and non-native plants. Several of these suppliers are both retail and wholesale. We have included ones with a reliable selection of natives in their inventory.

Bigelow Nurseries

Retail garden center and also a wholesale nursery.

Offering a good selection of native trees, shrubs and herbaceous plants, in a range of sizes from containers to B&B material. They grow many of their own plants.

Blue Moon Farm Perennials

Retail nursery.

Selling mostly perennials with a good selection of natives. Plants native to Rhode Island are identified in their catalog.

Native Plant Trust

  • Garden in the Woods | 180 Hemenway Road, Framingham, MA 01701

    508-877-7630

  • Nasami Farm | 128 North Street, Whately, MA 01093

    413-397-9922

Sells exclusively native plants at both locations. Will also contract grow some species.

Excellent selection of herbaceous plants and small woody plants. Great source for New England wildflowers, especially hard to find species such as Lady's slippers and trilliums.

Rolling Green Nursery

Retail garden center.

Offering a good selection of native plants, this nursery is located in New Hampshire’s seacoast region. They carry Van Berkum-grown native perennials.

Russell's Garden Center

Retail garden center.

They offer a good selection of natives, especially perennials, and they may be willing to special order a species if it’s not in stock. They carry Van Berkum-grown native perennials and, starting in 2023, they will also offer plants from Blue Stem Natives.

Sylvan Nursery

Primarily wholesale, but open to retail customers a few days a week.

A large selection of plants in all sizes, including B&B material. Not exclusively native, but a good source especially for southeast MA and Cape gardens. Strong on sand and salt tolerant plants for coastal habitats.

Weston Nurseries

Retail garden center and also a wholesale nursery.

Large selection of plants, some of which are native. Sizes range from 1 gallon perennials up B&B trees.

Retail: Small, Very Small & Specialty Nurseries

These are small nurseries that either have limited hours, are open only by appointment, or are exclusively mail order. Some of these suppliers grow straight-species New England genotype native plants as a part, if not all, of their offerings. It is essential to check their websites to learn how they operate and the best methods for purchasing plants.

A Wing and a Prayer Nursery

Primarily native. Open May to October with limited hours, several days per week.

A small nursery growing well over 100 species. Most are native wildflowers or grasses; they also sell some woody plants grown locally by others. Notably, they like to grow multiple species of the same genus, including some of the species less commonly available.

Bagley Pond Perennials

Primarily native. Mail order, shipping from June to September.

Offering a limited number of New England wildflowers, all grown from seed, all straight species plants and no cultivars. Customers can e-mail the nursery to arrange orders for pickup. They also sell at farmer’s markets in New Hampshire.

Blue Stem Natives

Exclusively native. Open seasonally April through October. Check website for details.

A small nursery offering more than 100 species with an emphasis on perennials, ferns, and grasses. Their inventory (published online) also includes some woodies, both shrubs and trees. Some species are grown from seed; others from stock supplied by wholesale sources.

Checkerspot Farm

Exclusively native. Open weekends from June to October, or by appointment.

Located on an old farmstead, this small nursery offers around 50 species of seed grown plants, primarily wildflowers and grasses. Pot sizes range from 2” to ¾ gal. Check out their fun wildflower concert t-shirts.

City Natives

Primarily native. Open seasonally. Call to make an appointment, as hours of operation vary.

City Natives is The Trustees’ native plant nursery. They grow and sell plants native to the eastern US, offering a selection of plants well-suited to Boston’s urban and suburban gardens. Check out their annual sale in the fall.

Earth Tones Native Plants

Exclusively native. Open 6 days per week during the growing season (closed Mondays.)

This is one of the largest of the small nurseries, a trek from Massachusetts, but worth it! They grow and sell several hundred species, herbaceous and woody, all propagated from wild collected seed. Sizes range from 1 quart to 5 gallon. A respected source with a landscape architect and a wetlands ecologist on staff.

Helia Native Nursery

Exclusively native. Open only one day per week.

A small nursery growing some of its plants from seed harvested in the Berkshire-Taconic region. Selling many perennials, sedges, grasses and ferns, and some woody plants in small sizes. They also offer seed mixes and educational programs.

Lady Fern Farm

Exclusively native. Pop up sales at farmers markets and local events. Check site for details.

Selection includes over 50 species of seed grown plants, primarily perennials and shrubs, in small pots or as plugs. Also offer garden consultations and seed sowing workshops.

Northeast Pollinator Plants

Mail order sales only. E-mail to discuss availability and orders.

A regional provider of native and naturalized perennials. They ship only to New England states and New York. In addition to individual species, they sell some "collections" for rain gardens, wet meadows, part shade, etc.

Oakhaven Sanctuary

Exclusively native. Open seasonally. Check site for availability and hours.

A small nursery with many species for sale, all organically grown. In addition to wildflowers, ferns, sedges and aquatic plants, they have a broad selection of woody plants. Run by a professional botanist specializing in wetlands ecology and restorations.

Sweetfern Native Plant Nursery

Exclusively native. Order online and pick up plants on site.

A micro-nursery offering 25 species of native plants that are organically grown and distributed in handmade biodegradable pots.

The Monarch Gardener

Exclusively native. Open by appointment, plus weekly nursery stand May–Jul. Check site for details.

A small nursery offering 75 native species, primarily seed-grown perennials, with an emphasis on genera that are valuable host plants for caterpillars. Pot sizes range from 1 quart to 1 gallon. A full plant inventory is available on the website.

Seeds & Plugs

These suppliers are mail order businesses that serve all customers, retail and wholesale. Their websites are excellent educational resources, with information about native range, light and moisture requirements, and suggestions for good companion plants.

Colonial Seed

Seed and plugs.

A seed mix company, designing and selling seed mixes as site solutions. They also sell plugs of many native New England grasses, sedges, rushes, and some forbs. Some of their mixes are available at select Agway locations.

Ernst Conservation Seeds

Seed.

The largest native seed producer and supplier in the eastern US. They sell seed, including seed mixes, for ecological restoration, stormwater management, wildlife support, cover crop use, etcetera.

Prairie Moon Nursery

Seed, plugs and bare root plants.

Over 700 species of native plants for gardening and restoration. Note: seed is collected in Minnesota and surrounding states. A sophisticated website and reliable methods for shipping product.

Toadshade Wildflower Farm

Seed and small plants.

Specializing in native northeast seed, and also selling nursery-grown perennials. Most seed is collected in New Jersey, New York, or Pennsylvania.

Wild Seed Project

New England genotype seed.

All seed collected in Maine. 100+ species of wildflowers, ferns, grasses and shrubs for a variety of habitats. Their magazine, Wild Seed, is a wonderful educational resource.

Wholesale Nurseries

Most of these wholesale nurseries sell to the trade only (landscape designers, contractors, and conservation organizations). A few of them sell to non-trade customers, but require a substantial minimum order. All of them have a good selection of natives, and identify natives in their catalogs.

Millican Nurseries

Sales to the trade only.

A large generalist nursery offering plants in all sizes up to B&B. They regularly stock over 100 native species of trees, shrubs, and perennials.

New England Wetland Plants

Minimum order = $250.

Wetland plants for large-scale installations and restoration projects, grown from locally collected seed. Trees and shrubs sold in gallon containers, herbaceous plants in 2" plugs sold in flats. Native seed mixes available.

New Moon Nursery

Wholesale only. Minimum order required for initial purchase.

A high-quality supplier of native landscape plugs, they grow perennials, ferns, and grasses. About 75% of their species are native to the northeast United States. Their website is a great source of information.

North Creek Nurseries

First order minimum = $500.

A wholesale propagation nursery, they grow plugs of perennials, grasses, ferns, vines and shrubs, with an emphasis on eastern US native plants (although not exclusively native). Their website is a great source of information.

Pierson Nurseries

Sales to the trade only.

Best wholesale nursery in Maine for woody native plants. An extensive selection of trees, shrubs and perennials, in sizes all the way up to B&B. Their inventory categorizes plants as "Native, Pollinator, and Bio-retention."

Planter’s Choice Nursery

Sales to the trade only.

A large generalist nursery with a good selection of native trees, shrubs and perennials, including larger B&B material. They grow wetland plants for ecological restoration projects. Several helpful lists on their website.

Sudbury Nurseries West

Minimum order = $250.

One of the largest growers of native plants in the state, specializing in native trees and shrubs propagated from locally collected seed or cuttings. Sizes range from containers to B&B.

Van Berkum Nursery

Sales to the trade only.

Grower of perennials, offering New England Woodlanders® line for shade plants, and New England Meadows® line for sun-loving plants. See their website for a list of places to buy their plants retail.

Annual Plant Sales of Note

Support conservation organizations and connect with fellow native plant aficionados at these annual sales.

City Natives

Holds an annual sale including many species of native plants along with vegetables and herbs. Quantities are limited. Check their website for details.

Grow Native Massachusetts

Our very own Grow Native sale has become one of the largest single-day native plant sales in New England each year. We typically offer well over 100 species of perennials, grasses, ferns, shrubs, trees, and vines. Covid restrictions have forced us to modify our sale structure in recent years. Members at the Family/Advocate level and above are given options for pre-ordering plants or first availability.

Rhode Island Wild Plant Society

This Society holds three plant sales per year: one in early spring; one in late spring; and another in the fall. Plants come from member donations and seed starter groups, and this is a retail source for Rhody Native™ grown plants.