New England Aster (Aster novae-angliae)

There are numerous places to purchase native plants here in Southeastern Pennsylvania. Many nurseries carry some native plants even if they don’t realize it or focus on it. Take along a native plant list or wildflower field guide to double-check if a plant is native and local to our region.  Call nurseries for hours before you go as some places are not open everyday. Check with the nursery to see if they sell what you want to buy, before gassing up the car and making a field trip.

This list includes nurseries I have personally visited and purchased plants from over the past several years. Octoraro is used by the habitat restoration group I volunteer with, and I can attest to their high quality of the plants, since I have handled and planted the plants.

iConserve.org maintains a list of places to buy native plants in Pennsylvania. http://www.iconservepa.org/buynatives.html

THE NURSERIES

OCTORARO NATIVE PLANT NURSERY
Contact: Jim MacKenzie
6162 Street Rd., Kirkwood, PA 17536
phone: 717.529.3160
web: http://www.octoraro.com
Octoraro only sells wholesale. This is good if you want to host a native plant sale as a fund- raiser. The company website provides a list of local nurseries which sell there plants. http://www.octoraro.com/retail.php

REDBUD NATIVE PLANT NURSERY
Contact: Catherine Smith
1214 N. Middletown Road, Glen Mills, PA 19342
phone: 610.358.4300
web: http://www.redbudnativeplantnursery.com
Redbud Nursery sells Octoraro plants.

These nature centers, arboretums, and preserves hold native plants sales, mainly in spring and fall. Check these places in March and again in August for dates. Each spring and fall I publish a list of upcoming native plant sales. Check my website at http://www.donnallong.com.

BARTRAM’S GARDEN
54th St. and Lindbergh Blvd.
Philadelphia, PA 19143
phone: 215.729.5281
email: info@bartramsgarden.org
web: http://www.bartramsgarden.org/

BOWMAN’S HILL WILDFLOWER PRESERVE
P.O. Box 685, New Hope, PA 18938-0685
phone: 215.862.2924
email: bhwp@bhwp.org
web: http://www.bhwp.org
Sells seeds and nursery-grown plants and twice a year plant sales.

THE SCHUYLKILL CENTER FOR ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION
8480 Hagy’s Mill Road, Philadelphia, PA 19128
phone: 215.482.7300
email: scee@schuylkillcenter.org
web: http://www.schuylkillcenter.org/

TEMPLE UNIVERSITY – Ambler Campus
Native Plant Propagation Center
580 Meetinghouse Rd., Ambler, PA 19002
phone: 267-468-8001