Host an Event Volunteer Join Tickets

Support the plant database you love!

Q. Who is Mr. Smarty Plants?

A: There are those who suspect Wildflower Center volunteers are the culpable and capable culprits. Yet, others think staff members play some, albeit small, role. You can torture us with your plant questions, but we will never reveal the Green Guru's secret identity.

Help us grow by giving to the Plant Database Fund or by becoming a member

Did you know you can access the Native Plant Information Network with your web-enabled smartphone?

Share

Ask Mr. Smarty Plants

Ask Mr. Smarty Plants is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.

Search Smarty Plants
See a list of all Smarty Plants questions

Please forgive us, but Mr. Smarty Plants has been overwhelmed by a flood of mail and must take a break for awhile to catch up. We hope to be accepting new questions again soon. Thank you!

Need help with plant identification, visit the plant identification page.

 
rate this answer
Not Yet Rated

Tuesday - April 04, 2006

From: Gt. Barrington, MA
Region: Northeast
Topic: Seed and Plant Sources
Title: Sources of native herbaceous plants for Massachusetts
Answered by: Nan Hampton and Joe Marcus

QUESTION:

Hi, I am looking for sources of native herbaceous plants, ideally in plug form, and wondered if you had a list you could send me. Thanks.

ANSWER:

You can visit the National Supplier Directory and search for nurseries in your area, by state or by region, that specialize in native plants. On the page for each business you can information about what the nursery offers, including "Delivery Formats" where you can check to see if the nursery sells plugs. In a preliminary search of the Northeast Region I found Natural Attraction Project, Inc. in Griswold, CT and Native Sun Natural Landscapes in New Preston, CT.

Just as a note, our expert horticulturist advises that plug size plants are more difficult than root ball plants to grow. They tend to dry out more quickly and are more susceptible to predation since they are smaller with fewer roots. In fact, the small size of the root ball makes them more sensitive to any sort of change (e.g., water availability, temperature, etc.).
 

More Seed and Plant Sources Questions

Sources for Calyptocarpus vialis and Dalea greggii.
June 05, 2009 - What are sources for 4" horseherb and gregg dalea? I've tried nurseries listed with NPSOT. Also, would using the above and maybe wooly stemodia and/or frogfruit together become a problem?
view the full question and answer

Source for Lenophyllum texanum (coastal stonecrop)
September 29, 2008 - Hi, Where can you purchase native coastal stonecrop or texas sedum; preferably out in East Texas? Thank you!
view the full question and answer

Obtaining native plants in the Austin area from Schertz TX
November 06, 2011 - Hi Mr. Smarty Plants, I went to the plant sale this past weekend, I had a good time, there was a great selection of plants. I was there at 9:00AM Sat. and when I asked for some plants than I have on ...
view the full question and answer

Source for purchase of Texas Madrone
March 23, 2008 - Where can we buy a Texas Madrone, the Peeling Tree, or Naked Indian tree?
view the full question and answer

Certified organic native grass seeds for Texas
August 10, 2014 - Thanks for your previous answer to my pasture grass seed question. We know about Native American Seed but they don't sell certified organic seeds. We're not sure whether we'll be able to find cer...
view the full question and answer

Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today.