Hours Update: ALL Weston Nurseries and Weston Wholesale locations will be closed on Wednesday, March 13th for staff training. Normal business hours will resume on Thursday!

Native Plants

We are growing again!

 The urge to actively start growing plants again has been in the back of Peter Mezitt’s mind for quite some time. As President and CEO of Weston Nurseries for the past 17 years, Peter clearly remembers the kind of impact that his family’s former large-scale growing operation had on the community. In 2020, we dusted off the cobwebs and the grow operation was reintroduced. As new challenges arose for all in the industry, between sourcing the plants, means of transportation, and a limited workforce, we were still able to produce 20,000 perennials. Each year we increased production and were able to learn from experience and adapt for the next season ahead.

During the 2022 growing season, we had the ability to increase our production to approximately 33,000 plants, from 28,000 plants in 2021. We still grow a variety of perennials, native trees and shrubs. This year, we decided to start our own native plant movement called ‘Weston Rewilding’. Our goal is to provide the community, state, and beyond with stunning native plants that are sourced from our ecoregion. 

We are growing true natives that provide benefits for people, other plants, insect biodiversity, wildlife, soil systems and so much more. With growing interest in the community, between homeowners, landscapers, and businesses, the demand for native plant sales is up, and we are ready to join the movement. People are realizing it is not too late to change the way we think about natives in the landscapes, and how we can provide a brighter, more colorful future for generations to come. 

As humans we have the power to make an incredible impact on our environment; good or bad. We believe in doing the right thing when it comes to the choices that are in our control, such as the way we design our landscapes. We need to resort back to our traditional landscapes that once shaped us. We owe it to Mother Nature, to nurture her and change her only for the better.

Would you like to learn more about native plants?

Read our Native Garden Guidelines, check out our Native Blog posts, plan your next garden using our Native Garden Design Guidelines, or get answers to your questions from a Native Expert.

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Frequently
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Native Garden Guidelines

Explore our guidelines on native plants

Pink purple cone flowers, echinacea, native perennials, pollinator, attracts birds, gold finches and butterflies

Pollinator

The ways we design our gardens can help support more pollinators. And it’s not simply about the flowers:...

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Native

We rely upon many species native to this region (and those native to regions of similar climate) for...

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Explore our Blogs on Natives

Hummingbirds!

Hummingbirds are here! What with 2022’s cool spring I had forgotten to check on the progress of their...

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Ladybugs

If, like me, you live in a pale colored house with an sunny, south-western aspect, you will always...

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Plants for Hummingbirds

“The daily hummingbird assaults existence with improbability.”– Ursula K. Le Guin Not only captivating to look at, hummingbirds...

Read More

Native Garden Designs

Be an ecological hero! Use our Native Garden Designs to plan out your next project.

Frequently Asked Questions

The majority of plants branded under the Weston Rewilding tag are grown from seed.  However, in certain cases, plant divisions may be used (e.g., hay-scented ferns, mayapples, prickly pears) or plants may be propagated by potting up runners from the mother plant (e.g., Virginia strawberry).  

For plants not propagated ourselves, our operating philosophy dictates that we source starter plants from as close to New England as possible, but the native plant vendor base is still relatively small, so we currently rely on propagation nurseries located in MA, IL, MD, MI, NC, NJ, PA, and VA who start seeds or propagate plants by division.  We continue to seek reliable local sources of starter plants, and we plan to increase the number of plants we grow ourselves from locally-collected/locally-sourced seed in the coming years.

In the case of plants we propagate from seed here at Weston Nurseries, seeds are either collected locally from mature managed plots on private property or from plants growing in the nursery.  We also purchase seed from reputable local vendors such as Wild Seed Project (based in North Yarmouth, ME) and Eco59 (a farmer-led native plant seed collective based in Connecticut).  

We do not typically gather seed from the wild; we rely on reputable vendors such as Wild Seed Project and Eco59 which use documented seed collection protocols for any wild-collected seed.  As mentioned above, we also gather seed from mature managed plots on local private property or from plants growing in the nursery.  

We are happy to share propagation information with any customer who inquires, but we have not yet published such a document for our customers.  This is a good idea and something we’ll consider in the future!  

We do not use neonicotinoids on any plants we grow in our nursery, including the native plants.  

We are very careful about the use of any pesticides on the plants we produce, but when we must use them, we default to products labeled as approved for organic gardening (e.g., horticultural soap, Neem oil, copper fungicide).  It is only in the case of extreme insect pressure where we may use pyrethrum, which is a natural insecticide.  Prior to applying any of these products on our plants, we scout to make sure beneficial insects are not present such as our much-adored monarch butterfly and spicebush swallowtail caterpillars.    

Ask the Native Expert

Other question about natives? Ask our expert.

Online Shopping at Weston Nurseries

We are excited to offer two unique opportunities to shop online at Weston Nurseries.

Farm To Door™

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Plants shipped directly to you!

Browse our online inventory for a huge selection of plants available to ship directly from the farm to your home! Anywhere in New England!*

Shop Our Garden Centers

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Great for large plants and larger orders!

Shop your local store for plants, garden supplies, soil, mulch and more. Then pick up your order at the garden center or arrange for local drop off!

If you are interested in ordering gift cards, please click here!
*Some restrictions may apply to certain states.

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