Owner/Proprietor: Adam Timpf 

Address: 961 West Quarterline Rd, Walsingham, ON, N0E 1X0 

Web Site: none 

Facebook Page: Prairie Song Nursery and Restoration

Instagram: prairiesongnursery  

Adam Timpf officially opened Prairie Song Nursery about 5 years ago. In my search for unusual native plants, I came across his name about 2 years later, but from where I am in southwestern Ontario, it was going to be a long drive to get a couple of plants so I put off making the trip. Fortunately, Adam was going to Rondeau Provincial Park (about a 15-20 minute drive from my place) later that season and offered to drop the plants off.  

The following year I placed my order for more plants, and found out that a neighbour was going to visit his sister just down the road from Prairie Song and he offered to bring my plants back for me. 

This year I finally got a chance to drop in to the nursery at the end of a week of camping in nearby Long Point Provincial Park. And I’m glad I did. 

Prairie Song is in the heart of Carolinian Canada and even though I was there well past the peak spring planting season, Adam still had a great selection of good looking plants in his greenhouse. A little bit off the beaten path, it’s definitely worth the drive. The scenery is awesome and the plant selection is, too.  

Prairie Song is open most Saturdays through the summer, but they do encourage people to schedule appointments for best service, especially if you are unable to make it on a Saturday. Although they are usually around the nursery, making an appointment allows everyone to find a time that works best – occasionally family obligations or errands might mean that someone isn’t available if you just randomly drop in. 

On average, Prairie Song carries about 200 species of native plants, but this number keeps going up. And they strive to provide a diverse variety of species in a variety of sizes at different price points. At $2 a plug, they may have some of the most affordable plants in southern Ontario. 

All their plants are wild-type – there are no nativars or selections. Most of the seeds are collected locally. They do NOT dig from the wild, though occasionally they will take cuttings from clonal species. 

One cool thing about Prairie Song is that they highlight on their availability list which species are “near natives” and which ones are Ontario native species. They also identify those occasional plants where the seed originated from the U.S. But basically 98% of their stock is Ontario seed source identified. 

Adam says, “We believe it’s important to grow and sell Ontario native plants that are wild-type, with local genetics whenever possible – and highlight any instances where this is not the case. Too many nurseries blur the line when it comes to selling native plants and it’s important to ask questions about seed and plant provenance. We are happy to answer any questions about where and how we source our seeds and plants.” 

Prairie Song offers discounts for school plantings and other NGOs, and are a contractor for restoration projects in Norfolk County. 

Currently their plant list contains annuals, biennials, perennials, sedges, grasses, trees and shrubs and in 2025 they may also start carrying some ferns. 

Adam is mostly self-taught in the native plant world, though he does have a 4-year biological science degree from the University of Guelph. His brother, Matt, also works around the nursery. 

Welcome to the first of what I hope will be a long running series of monthly articles about native plant nurseries in the Southern Great Lakes Region. I’m starting with southern Ontario because that’s where I live, and the first nurseries I highlight will be many of the ones I’ve purchased plants from over the years. I’m really pleased to start with Golden Alexander’s in Sarnia, as this has quickly become one of my favourite sources of native plants.  

Native Plant Nursery Name: Golden Alexander’s 

Owner/Proprietor: Nick Alexander 

Address: 2200 Churchill Line, Sarnia ON 

Web Site: https://goldenalexanders.ca 

Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/goldenalexanders1/ 

I first met Nick about 3 years ago when I heard about a new native plant nursery opening in the Sarnia area. Sarnia is only about a one-hour drive from my place, and I had already been going to Sarnia to the Aamjiwnaang Greenhouse – Maajiigin Gumig “Place where plants start to grow” – at the Aamjiwnaang First Nation. I was pleasantly surprised, not only with the number of species Nick had, but also with the quality of the plants.   

Golden Alexander’s had their first “official” Saturday sales in the Spring of 2022, though Nick apparently had a few 2021 sales strictly through word of mouth as he built his inventory.  

Nick currently grows around 200 species of flowers, grasses, ferns, shrubs and trees but that number keeps increasing each year. What I especially appreciate is that Nick sticks to the true species – he doesn’t sell any nativars or non-native species. 

Nick collects all his own seeds or digs his plants from his property and his clients’ properties (Nick also provides landscape design and installation, and maintenance, throughout the week). For things like woody plants (trees/shrubs), about 3% of his inventory comes from two reputable nurseries and the rest he grows from cuttings or seeds. 

Nick has a horticultural diploma from Algonquin College and spent 9 years working with Shaswn McKnight and the non-profit Return the Landscape, which is where he first learned about the beauty and necessity of growing natives. He told me he was instantly intrigued by the thought of native plant gardening as soon as he heard about it from Shawn back in 2005 or so.  

He said that at first it was kind of mysterious because he didn’t know any of the plants. But the more he learned, the more he became convinced there is no need to plant non native plants in landscaping. That’s why, when he took the horticulture program at Algonquin, he already knew he was taking it knowing his end goal was to use native plants, and probably exclusively.  

He told me “There is so much variety/texture/colour to choose from. All the big picture stuff (pollinators, ecological benefits, etc) adds lots of extra fuel and meaning to it for me. But I actually don’t like the look of non-native gardens! I love the look of a natural areas and gardens designed to look like them…so good looks= healthy ecosystems”. 

In addition to his landscaping business and his nursery, Nick has also planned and installed native gardens/natural areas in city parks, school yards and other natural area enhancements.  

Hours of Operation: Golden Alexanders is open to the public on Saturdays from 9 AM to 3 PM (April to Sept with reduced hours in October). But if you’re unable to make it in on a Saturday, Nick can also arrange a weekday morning pickup by appointment. 

Noteworthy: This spring, Golden Alexander’s was awarded the Lambton Wildlife “Environmental Award” for their work promoting native plants and supporting biodiversity in Lambton County.