Nurseries, Native Plants & Garden Centers

Thirty-nine nurseries, native plant growers, and garden centers across fourteen counties. A new wave of native-plant nurseries grows the wildflowers, shrubs, and trees that belong here, feeding local pollinators and birds, while old family garden centers, some in business for more than a century, still fill the spring with flats of vegetable starts and hanging baskets.

Native plant nurseries

Catskill Native Nursery in Kerhonkson has specialized in plants native to eastern North America since 1999. Barkaboom Native Plants in Margaretville grows local-ecotype natives of the Catskills, and Ulster County Native Nursery in Ulster Park is pesticide-free, focusing on host plants for caterpillars and heavy nectar and pollen sources. In Dutchess County, Hudson Valley Native Plant Initiative in Red Hook grows regionally appropriate plants for pollinators, Elderflower Native Nursery in Rhinebeck sells natives through spring preorders and seasonal events, and One Nature Plant Nursery in Beacon grows native, edible, and medicinal plants.

• Capital Native Plants — Troy. Native and pollinator plants with online ordering, free pickup, and local delivery.
• Wild Gardens Nursery — Cortlandt Manor. Grows most plants from locally sourced seed.
• The Herb Farm at Midsummer Farm — Warwick. A certified organic medicinal and native plant nursery, open on specific dates.
• Pondside Nursery — Hudson. Native and ornamental plants for Hudson Valley landscapes.
• Out of the Ordinary Nursery — Averill Park. Unusual and regionally appropriate plants.

Family garden centers

Becker's Farm in East Greenbush has been in continuous operation since 1870, and Faddegon's Nursery in Latham, founded in 1920, is a year-round Capital Region institution. Story's Nursery in Freehold has served Greene County since 1956 from 35 acres, and Kerns Landscape & Nursery in Jewett has been the mountaintop's garden center since 1987. Black Horse Farms on Route 9W in Athens runs 42 greenhouses with a full garden center and farm market. Farther south, Phantom Gardener in Rhinebeck, Down to Earth Living in Pomona (Rockland County's largest), and Bedford Farms in Bedford Village carry the full range.

More nurseries & greenhouses

• Albany County: Hillard's Greenhouse & Produce (Latham), Lansing Farm Market & Greenhouses (Colonie), and Roots N Boots (East Berne, tucked into the Helderberg escarpment).
• Rensselaer: Elhannon Nursery (Hoosick, several locations) and Zema's Nursery (Stephentown).
• Saratoga & Washington: Milburt Farm & Greenhouse (Galway), Sorano's Greenhouses (Gansevoort), Sunnyside Gardens (Saratoga Springs), and Toadflax Nursery (Fort Edward).
• Greene & Schoharie: Greene Bee Greenhouse (Cornwallville) and Schoharie Valley Farms (Schoharie).
• Columbia & Dutchess: Maple Lane Nursery (Valatie) and Twin Ponds Nursery (Rhinebeck, organic).
• Orange & Ulster: Dogwood Acres Family Farm (Middletown), Scheuermann Farms & Greenhouses (Warwick), Hickory Hollow Nursery (Tuxedo), and Cedar Ridge Nursery (Saugerties).
• Sullivan & Otsego: L & M Greenhouses (Bethel), Maplehorst Farm Nursery (Monticello), and Fox Hollow Nursery (West Oneonta).

A few practical notes

The busiest weeks are mid-May through early June, after the last frost; go early in the season for the best selection, especially of natives, which small nurseries grow in limited numbers. Several native nurseries sell mainly through spring preorders or open only on set dates, so check before you go. When choosing natives, ask about the plant's local origin (its "ecotype"); plants grown from nearby seed are best adapted to your garden and your local wildlife.

Explore more of the region's theme guides on Explore by Theme, or find bouquets on Cut Flowers, Lavender & Flower Farms.

A flat of seedlings, a native shrub for the bees, and dirt under your fingernails by Sunday night.