Owner/Proprietor: Emma Murphy 

Address: 21 Katherine St., Lakefield, Ontario 

Web Site: Not yet! Hopefully sometime this year! 

Email: rosemontmeadowsnativeplants@gmail.com  

Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/rosemontmeadows.nativeplants 

Other Social Media: IG – https://www.instagram.com/rosemont_meadows_native/ 

When I started to grow native plants, almost 20 years ago now, there were a small handful of native plant nurseries in Ontario. As the demand has grown, so has the number of sources of native plants, as it seems more and more gardeners are realizing the benefits of “growing native”.  And since I am constantly scouring the web for native plant nurseries, I am often rewarded with finding new (or almost new) businesses catering to the native plant gardening public. This month’s native plant nursery profile is one such new discovery for me.  

Emma Murphy officially opened Rosemont Meadows Native Plants in the spring of 2023. This business operates under a little different model than most. She has neither a formal retail outlet that is open to the public, nor does she sell online for pickup or delivery. Instead, Emma operates out of her home for spring weekends and then by appointment for the rest of the year. The nursery is located in her back yard. 

Rosemont Meadows is open May to mid-June on weekends from 9 am to 3 pm, or by appointment. The hours of operation are posted on their Facebook page (see link above). After mid-June it is by appointment only so email or call before heading out. If you’re curious about what they have in stock, the current plant availability is listed on their Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?vanity=rosemontmeadows.nativeplants&set=a.594150930357177).  

Currently, Rosemont Meadows carries about 60 species of native plants – and this number keeps growing each year as she keeps doing more winter sowing, incorporating new plants in her garden and collecting her own seed. 

Almost all her plants are true native species, though she does carry a very few nativars (variegated shorter Solomon’s Seal, for example) for those with smaller urban gardens. But she makes it very clear that such plants are not straight species.  

Right now, she has a variety of annuals, biennials and perennials, as well as some ferns, sedges and grasses. The only vine she currently has is Virgin’s Bower Clematis (Clematis virginiana) but my guess is that will soon be added to. 

Her plants come from seeds collected on her own property and from reputable Ontario/Canadian seed suppliers. She also buys plants from local wholesalers such as Ecology Park Native Plant Nursery,  Grow Wild, and Natural Themes, or digs plants from her own gardens. 

Emma brings to her gardening a Bachelor of Environmental Studies (University of Waterloo) and is a Certified Master Gardener (member of Peterborough and Area Master Gardener group). She is a self-taught gardener, starting with her first house in east Toronto almost 30 years ago and became a Master Gardener (taking courses at U of Guelph) in 2014. Part of that MG commitment includes continuous learning, and that’s where she became interested in native plants and started taking some courses. 

Emma tells me that when she started incorporating native plants into her own garden, she did so with a personal goal of a 50/50 native/non-native garden and a focus on providing an ecological niche in their backyard to support pollinators, birds, insects, mammals etc. She then started writing MG blogs focusing on native plants and their benefits and has been an admin/moderator on the Master Gardeners of Ontario Facebook page for many years. Those who belong to the FB group know that Master Gardeners have an increasingly strong focus on incorporating and promoting native plants in gardens across Ontario.  

It wasn’t long before Emma started creating more onsite habitat – log and brush piles, a large pond, and incorporating a wide variety of host species. She began winter sowing in 2021 for native plants because, as she says, at the time there weren’t many large nursery sources in her neck of the woods. 

She soon recognized there was a market for native plants and decided to start a small nursery and is now in her 3^rd year with more plants and lots of varieties. She just doesn’t have a huge inventory – yet. She is limited, in part, by size of her property (3/4 acre) so won’t be able to get real big. However, her main goal is just to get a few more native plants out into her community!!  

Emma is also an avid photographer and writer and has produced a number blogs as a Master Gardener. She recently retired and has been focusing on her small native plant nursery and getting native plants out into people’s gardens in both urban and cottage/rural locations. 

If you’re up in the Lakefield area, be sure to reach out to her and see what she’s got growing. 

Owner: Karen Abrahams and Rob Messervey 

Address: 4965 Westney Road, Pickering, Ontario, L1Y1A2 

Web Site:  www.nativeplants.ca 

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

Other Social Media:  https://www.instagram.com/nativeplantsinclaremont/ 

One of the native plant nurseries I regularly hear good things about is Native Plants in Claremont.  It’s probably no wonder – they’ve been around for almost 20 years now (they officially opened in 2006) and have been supporting native plant gardeners with high quality plants for a long time.  

Although their mailing address is Pickering, Ontario, their nursery is located about 20 km north of that town, 20 km south of Uxbridge, and only a 4 minute drive east of the village of Claremont. They have a retail outlet there that is open from Wednesday to Saturday, from late April or early May to October. You can even order online and arrange pick-up, or even delivery (see their website for details). 

Native Plants in Claremont specializes in growing over 150 species of native sedges, grasses, wildflowers, shrubs and a few trees. Plants are primarily seed grown and the nursery adheres to the North American Native Plants Society Guidelines for Commercial Native Plants Growers, and the Society of Ecological Restoration – Ontario Chapter Native Plant Grower Guidelines. For example, for rarer plants they collect seed once and establish source plants at the nursery. And they collect no more that 10% of seed from any population, selecting seed from a number of individuals. Seeds are collected mostly in Ontario Seed Zone 34 (GTA), and also in 35/36 (east of GTA) and some in 37 (west of GTA). 

 

For some species which readily grow vegetatively (e.g. Mayapple or  Wild Strawberry), as well as growing these from seed they will also sustainably harvest plants from their established nursery beds. They also purchase and re-sell some plants from local and trusted nurseries. You can read more about their practices on their website (see link above). 

Karen is mostly self taught in the native plant world, though she has built this knowledge on top of a BSc in Botany from the University of Toronto, and also gained much knowledge through an apprenticeship in the industry. Although Karen doesn’t have direct, intergenerational indigenous knowledge as part of her expertise, she does have staff that bring this knowledge to the business.  

Native Plants in Claremont also provides landscape design advice.  When I asked Karen what community level projects she has participated in in her local area she indicated that she has supplied plants for the projects of many clients, including retail nurseries like Evergreen Brick Works Garden Market and Loblaws, Plant sales for North American Native Plant Society, sales of plants for many David Suzuki Foundation Butterflyway Rangers,  for the recipients of City of Toronto Pollinator Garden PollinateTO grants, TDSB schools, Plaza Pops, and has been involved in garden design for municipal clients like the Twp of Scugog.  

Although I have not yet visited Native Plants in Claremont, it is definitely on my road trip list for this spring, when I hope to drop in to a few nurseries east of Toronto that I’ve not been to before. As my list of nurseries grows, I have a feeling I may need a bigger truck for the trip. 

Owner/Proprietor:  Bea Heissler 

Address: 219 Maybee Road, Frankford, Ontario 

Web Site:  naturalthemes.com 

Facebook Page: Natural Themes Native Plant Nursery 

Instagram: @naturalthemesfarms 

Email: bea@naturalthemes.com 

Over the last few years, I have visited MANY native plant nurseries throughout southern Ontario, though most have been located west of Toronto with only a couple of them east of the city. One eastern Ontario native plant nursery I haven’t made it to yet, however, is Natural Themes Native Plant Nursery, located just north of the 401 highway near Prince Edward County. 

Natural Themes is a family operation with Bea Heissler (mother) and Maya Navrot (daughter) operating the partnership. The business opened in 2006 and currently carries about 400 species of trees, shrubs, grasses, wildflowers, ferns and vines. However, in response to customer demands (I’m told), that number of plants includes several non-native species. In fact, my cursory examination of the website shows close to 50 species on their list that are not actually native in southern Ontario. But that means, in theory at least, they have at least 350 native species. Be sure to know the scientific name of the plant you’re interested in so you can check the VASCAN website (https://data.canadensys.net/vascan/search) to make sure the plant you’re getting is actually native to Ontario. 

Natural Themes Nursery sources their plants both locally and from a variety of sources, as both seeds and plants. They offer garden design, consultations and planting services. In addition, they collaborate with local municipalities, conservation organizations, community groups, horticulture clubs, and local conservation authorities to supply plants for restoration, reforestation, and garden projects. They also offer expertise and advice to community partners in conservation efforts.  

Although they are primarily self-taught about native plants, Bea has a post-secondary education in biology with a focus on botany while Maya holds an Honors Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Science and Biology. 

If you want to check them out, they are open to the public on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays from 1-5 or by request. You might also want to check out the blog post they have on their website at About Us – Natural Themes Native Plant Nursery. 

Owner/Proprietor: Baz Conlin

Address: 1274 Lochlin Rd, Lochlin ON

Facebook Page: @haliburton_micromeadows

Instagram: @haliburton_micromeadows

Email: Haliburtonmm@gmaillcom

I have been following Baz Conlin on Facebook for quite a while. I was super impressed with the native gardens he created around his parents’ house in Peterborough, ON. He packed a ton of plants into a postage stamp sized yard on a busy street corner. It was pretty apparent that Baz knew what he was doing with native plants.

So I was really pleased when I saw that he opened his own native plant nursery, called Haliburton Micromeadows, this spring in Lochlin, ON. (I had to look up where Lochlin was – for those familiar with the Haliburton region, it’s just east of Minden, and about halfway between Bracebridge and Bancroft.)

Baz says “The name ‘Micromeadows’ refers to the size of most meadows in Haliburton, which are usually small openings in the forest that provide habitat for pollinators and create diversity in an otherwise homogeneous see of dark forest. These small, diverse meadows can easily be installed in the home landscape to create islands of diversity. We are also a small nursery and our space is limiited!”

As a brand-new operation, Haliburton Micromeadows started with about 50 species of native plants this spring and he is now up to about 80 species of perennials, grasses, and sedges and 12 species of trees and shrubs. He also has a few species of ferns available. Baz was quick to point out that he carries a large variety of grasses and sedges.

Haliburton Micromeadows only sells straight species, sourced from local populations, either from seeds Baz has collected locally, or from local seed and plant suppliers. The only exceptions are Anise Hyssop (Agastache foeniculum), Meadow Blazing Star (Liatris ligulistylis) and Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea), although he is also considering selling some cultivars of Switchgrass in the future to try and provide a suitable alternative to Miscanthus.

Haliburton Micromeadows is open mainly by appointment/ pre order. They try to have open nursery hours on Sundays during spring and fall from 10-4 PM. On non-nursery days, people can pre order or set up an appointment through email (haliburtonmm@gmail.com). Plant availability is shown on their Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61557178436052).

At the nursery, Baz uses full colour labels that show the flower and ideally the form of the plant, cultural info, watering and soil needs, pH, and whether the plant was sourced/ occurs within 100km of Lochlin or is a southern species or if it is a near-native.

Baz is mostly self-taught when it comes to native plants, but he did study Conservation Biology at Trent University, and he worked at Grow Wild! Native Plant Nursery in Omemee for two summers. He also volunteered with the Nature Conservancy of Canada in the Rice Lake Plains for two years.

Haliburton Micromeadows has supplied plants for the Minden junior horticultural garden.

Baz informs me that, as a new nursery, he is looking to bring beautiful and sustainable plant choices to the Haliburton Highlands and surrounding area. He tries to source all of his plants from local sources within 100km of the nursery in Lochlin. His first season, he says, went great, and he’s hoping to continue to grow and provide more varieties, in particular spring ephemerals, ground covers, shade plants, and quick growing shrubs. Eventually he’s hoping to provide bulk flats of grasses and sedges for matrix gardening as well as emergent pond plants for backyard ponds and wetland restorations. I, for one, will be in the market for those pond plants when he’s got them.

With a background in conservation biology and ecological restoration, as well as entomology (amateur lepidopterist), much of Baz’s work goes towards providing insect habitat and stewarding the land.

If you’re going to be in the Haliburton area, do yourself a favour and check out Haliburton Micromeadows. I’m already planning my road trip for next spring.

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.