Right Plant, Right Place

You’ve probably heard this ALOT if you have been reading about native plants.  But, what does it mean?

We mean that each plant has unique needs, and if you match the plant’s needs to the site, your plant will live.  For example, If a plant needs dry shade, and you plant it in dry shade, it should thrive. Don’t try to plant it in moist sun, or it will fail.  All plants need monitoring and watering until they are established.  Once established, if it is in the right place, it will thrive without watering or fertilizer (unless there are extreme weather conditions).

Information Is Key

Because of the many unique requirements of native plants, we have created detailed signage for the plants here in our nursery. We list its soil needs, sunlight needs, and moisture needs.

We use respected reference books, relying heavily on the series by William Cullina, “The Manual of Woody Landscape Plants” by Michael Dirr, and “Native Plants of the Northeast” by Donald Leopold. We’ll check the USDA database to verify the plant’s native status. We consult other online resources we know to be reliable. Then we add in what we have learned ourselves from over 30 years of experience working with native plants.

Next, we select icons to represent some key qualities of each plant.

Bird Value

Butterfly value

Cut Flowers

Deer Resistant

Fall Color

Fragrant

Groundcover

Hummingbird value

Native to PA

Pollinator Value

Rare, threatened or Endangered in PA

Winter Interest

 

We have posted all our signs on this website, links below.  Feel free to take pictures of our signs while you are shopping if you wish!

TREES SHRUBS AND VINES. (Alphabetical by Botanic Name)

 TREES SHRUBS AND VINES (Alphabetical by Common Name)

 PERENNIAL PLANTS.(Alphabetical by Botanic Name)

 PERENNIAL PLANTS BY COMMON NAME

Next time you visit, we hope you’ll give yourself time to select the right plant for the right place, and that the information on our signs is helpful.