Buyer's checklist for native plant nurseries companies: eleven supplier types

What to take away

• There is no national native nursery. Supply is regional and takes several forms.
• Seed houses, plug growers and retail nurseries solve different problems.
• Society sales and conservation district sales are the cheapest reliable sources.
• Whichever you use, ask the same three questions about identity and origin.

Eleven supplier types

Type	Best for	Watch out for
Regional retail native nursery	Advice plus plants, small quantities	Limited stock late in the season
Wholesale plug grower	Large quantities, low unit cost	Minimum orders, trade accounts
Native seed house	Large areas, meadows and matrix	Mixes with unnamed species
Mail-order bare-root supplier	Shrubs and trees, dormant shipping	Narrow shipping windows
Native plant society sale	Cheap, regionally correct, expert help	One or two dates a year
Conservation district seedling sale	Bare-root trees and shrubs in bulk	Seedling sizes, spring only
Botanic garden plant sale	Unusual straight species	Small quantities, single event
Extension or master gardener sale	Local knowledge attached	Mixed native and ornamental stock
Community plant bank	Free or near free	Identity depends on the volunteers
General garden center	Convenience	Cultivars and regionally wrong stock
Restoration contractor surplus	Occasional bulk bargains	Erratic, and not aimed at homeowners

Seed houses and plug growers are not interchangeable

Seed covers large areas cheaply and demands two years of weeding. Plugs cost more per square foot and get you a recognizable planting in one season. Set against mulch, gravel and retained turf, each replacement type has a different upkeep curve after year three. Most home projects use both: seed for the matrix in a large area, plugs for anything visible from the house.

The public seed infrastructure behind them

Even commercial supply rests on a long collection and banking effort. The Fish and Wildlife Service describes Seeds of Success as a national native seed collection program established in 2001 with federal and non-federal partners and led by the Bureau of Land Management, gathering wildland seed to identify, grow and store a bank of American native plants for research and restoration.

Public gardens work the same way. The U.S. Botanic Garden's partnership program is explicit that it collaborates with other public gardens, federal and municipal agencies and nonprofits to reach shared goals.

For a homeowner, that means the most knowledgeable supplier in your region is often connected to one of those networks. Ask.

The three questions to ask every supplier

• What is the scientific name, and is this a straight species or a named selection?
• Where was it grown, and from what source material?
• If it is unavailable, what will you substitute and will you ask me first?

A supplier who answers all three clearly is worth paying more for, whatever category they fall into, and a supplier who cannot answer any of them is selling you a pot rather than a plant. Ask a designer or crew the same questions before you ask for a price.

Where to start in your region

Search for your state native plant society and look at its sale calendar. Ask your county conservation district about spring seedling sales. Call the nearest botanic garden and ask which regional growers they buy from.

Then match those sources against the plant roles you actually need, using the regional plant comparison frame and the planning sequence in the site-first guide.

Common questions

Are big-box natives useless? Not always, but check the label for a scientific name and confirm the species is native to your region.

When are society sales held? Usually spring and fall. Join the mailing list, because the good species sell out in the first hour.

Can I buy wholesale as a homeowner? Sometimes, with a minimum order. Splitting an order with neighbors is the usual route.

Is mail order risky? Less than people expect for dormant bare-root stock. Riskier for leafed-out plants in summer heat.