Gardening with Native Plants

  • Harriet Irving Botanical Gardens
    The gardens and greenhouses at the KC irving Centre at Acadia University specialize in native plants and are open daily from dawn until dusk weather permitting. All welcome, free admission. They hold an annual plant sale in early June at which seedlings and larger native plants are available at very modest cost.
  • Helping Nature Heal Ecological Restoration  A local company with 20 years experience restoring ecosystems and helping inspire people to connect with nature.
  • Can-Plant: Native Plant Database
    An Ontario database of native plants still under development. A large number of these plants are also native to Nova Scotia.
  • Macphail Woods Ecological Forestry Project (P.E.I.)
    The website provides information on the Acadian Forest and about propagating native shrubs and trees, many of which can be obtained from the MacPhail Nursery. View 2021 catalogue.
  • Gardening to Conserve Maine’s Landscape
    Plants to Use and Plants to Avoid, sections on Trees Shrubs, Vines and Ground Covers, Perennials: Flowering Plants, Ferns.
  • New England Wild Flower Society: Recently renamed the Native Plant Trust. This section of the website offers many articles related to remediation and naturalization of domestic landscapes, e.g., on making a backyard bog, rain gardens, green roofs. They maintain a living museum of wildflowers in Framingham, Massachusetts. They also host Go Botany – one of the best online plant identification sites.
  • University of Connecticut Plant Data Base
    “The University of Connecticut has developed this site dedicated to the ornamental attributes, appropriate use and identification of landscape plants. This site is geared toward the teaching of landscape plants and contains valuable information for students, homeowners and plant professionals.” Includes data for many native species.

Maritime nurseries with significant holdings of native species
We often get inquiries about where to find nurseries selling native species, so we are starting a list.
Please forward sites for possible inclusion.

*The website does not provide a list of species offered, but a pamphlet cites Common Elder, Mountain Maple, Black Ash, Blue Flag Iris, Star Flower, Virginia Rose, Wild Lily of the Valley, red osier Dogwood, Cat tail, teaberry, Winterberry, yellow Birch, Staghorn Sumac, bayberry, Ferns