Native Plant Sources

Where to Buy Native Plants

Before you purchase native plants, consider the following:

Collecting wild plants. Removing or cutting plants of any type is not allowed on public lands, and in some cases, it is illegal and fines may apply. For private properties, you must have permission of the property owner. However, wild collecting is discouraged as it may be detrimental to local populations.
Speaking with Garden Centers. When speaking with garden center personnel, if they cannot provide you with the information on items 3 and 4 below, then they are probably not knowledgeable about native plants and you should either research this yourself, find another employee or place to shop.
Select plants that are native to the New England ecoregion (see map). Plants that evolved here along with the wildlife and are the most beneficial. They may be better able to withstand local weather and climate extremes while providing more resources for local wildlife. You can check to see if a plant is native to our ecoregion on the Native Plant Truts's GoBotany site, at https://gobotany.nativeplanttrust.org. Type the plant name in the search bar and scroll down to the map to see if the plant is native to the New England ecoregion:

Avoid purchasing cultivars. When purchasing native plants, ask for "straight species" plants, not cultivars. A cultivar is a plant that has been modified by humans to produce different bloom color or size, leaf color or height. Recent studies show that changing flower color and shape can have significant impact on pollinators. Cultivars are clones, and decrease diversity in the plant gene pool. Cultivars are easily recognizable if the plant tag has a name in quotes that follows the plant name (e.g., Coneflower/Echniacea "White Swan" of Black-eyed Susan/Rudbeckia "Goldsturm")