Our Mission
Our name reflects our mission, which is to promote the return of native plants to the landscapes of our region, while running a socially and environmentally responsible small business. The vast majority of our land in the eastern United States is dominated by human endeavors. A tiny percentage remains in "natural areas," and those who can distinguish plant species from green vegetation soon come to see that any remaining "natural areas" are under attack from all sides, not only from development and use, but also from a multitude of alien invasive plants, animals, fungi, microbes, as well as air pollution and climate change.
Speaking of the natural world in "A Sand County Almanac," Aldo Leopold wrote, "One of the penalties of an ecological education is that one lives alone in a world of wounds. Much of the damage inflicted on land is quite invisible to laymen. An ecologist must either harden his shell and make believe that the consequences of science are none of his business, or he must be the doctor who sees the marks of death in a community that believes itself well and does not want to be told otherwise."
Our hope, with your help, is to work to heal those wounds. We must make our planted landscapes work in harmony with the natural world. This is possible if native plants dominate our landscapes. We hope the native plants we grow will enable our customers to create beautiful landscapes that can sustain the amazing flora and fauna that is our natural heritage. When you get to know our native flora, you will find that we have some of the finest in the world.
Aldo Leopold also wrote, "We abuse land because we see it as a commodity belonging to us. When we see land as a community to which we belong, we may begin to use it with love and respect". Those of us who shape our landscapes are closer to the land than most Americans. It is up to us to bring our love and knowledge of the natural world to both our landscapes and our clients. We face many environmental challenges, but when we commit to protecting the natural world, and the environment, we can make a difference.
Our love of the natural world has shaped our lives. We do our best to limit any negative environment impacts of our growing operation, and our nursery is both functional and aesthetically pleasing. We believe that working to restore a more equitable balance between human endeavors and our natural flora and fauna is one of humanity's highest moral imperatives. Leake explained this imperative well when he wrote, "The probability of survival of individual living organisms, or as populations, increases with the degree of which they harmoniously adjust themselves to each other and their environment." To survive into the future, we must learn to live within nature's bounds.
We have been lucky to be able to devote our lives to the pursuit of our calling. We thank our customers for supporting this endeavor, and for doing their part to restore native plants to their rightful place in our landscapes.