There are a few local nurseries that exclusively sell native plants and seeds. They are listed below.
A note to other local nurseries not yet on our list – if you would like to have your business added to our list, please let us know. We would be happy to add you!
NALT Native plant nursery – This nursery is located near the Nanaimo Airport at 3145 Frost Road. As the name suggests they focus exclusively on native plants and trees, which are all grown at the nursery from source-identified seed. Both plants and seed are available.
Streamside Native Plants – Located north of Nanaimo in Bowser at 7455 Island Highway West. This nursery also specializes exclusively in native perennials, shrubs, grasses and trees.
Satinflower Nursery – Located south of Nanaimo in Victoria at 741 Haliburton Road. It specializes in native plant species, selling both potted plants, shrubs, grasses, and trees as well as seeds and seed blends.
What about my local garden centre?
If you would like to support your local garden centre, or prefer to shop for your plants there because of convenience, there are a number of native plants that many general retailers often keep in their stock. We also recommend speaking to the garden centre purchasing, and recommending they increase their supply of native plants. If there is enough demand, most local garden centres would be happy to supply native plants, but first we need to let them know that there is the demand for them!
Also – be aware of the ‘Nativar’ or Native cultivar; native plants that have been hybridized for specific traits. These may be helpful for the gardener (for instance, making them hardier), but might also have an impact on their benefit for pollinators. The Nativar can be identified by looking at the Latin species name for your plant; any variety or hybrid will be listed after the plant name.
Native plants you might find at a local garden centre
- Red-flowering currant (Ribes sanguineum)
- Kinnikinnick (Arctstaphylos uva-ursi)
- Mock-orange (Philadelphus Lewisii)
- Thrift or Sea Pink (Armeria maritima)
- Salal (Gaultheria shallon)
- White Rhododendron (Rhododendron albiflorum) or Pacific Rhododendron (Rhododendron macrophyllum) – have a hunt for these amongst all the hybrids. If you find one, let us know!
- Goldenrod (Solidago canadensis)
- Douglas Aster (Aster subspicatus)
- Yarrow (Achillea millefolium) – this native can sometimes be found amongst all the Achillea
- Large-leaved Lupine (Lupinus polyphyllus)
- Stonecrops: Sedum oreganum, Sedum divergens, Sedum lanceolatum, Sedum spathulifolium