Restoring native ecosystems, one yard at a time
Let’s go beyond planting for pollinators, and integrate our yards, schoolyards, and businesses back into the environments that surround them.
We strive to achieve this by growing native plants and providing a variety of consultation and other services. We believe that, by reintroducing native plants wherever we can and removing invasive species, we can form a strong foundation on which nature can rebuild functional, complex ecosystems.
Truly native plants
Ungardening Native Plants is working to provide straight species native plants, grown from wild collected seed, or harvested from our network of ungardens. Most “native plants” available at garden centers have been bred in greenhouses for generations or selected for specific traits. Since our parent stock is wild, our plants are genetically diverse, and truly native to Connecticut. That means that they are adapted to the unique environmental characteristics present here, in our environment. That also means they tend to be easy to tend to! By planting native plants, and encouraging those already there, we can help reestablish self-reliant native ecosystems in our own back yard. Our nursery is currently taking a break from public sales to build up our stock, but stay tuned to hear when plants are available!
Black elderberry (Sambucus nigra ssp. canadensis) in bloom.
Ecological advice
Beyond growing and selling plants, Ungardening strives to bring scientifically sound ecological advice to anyone who wants to help the environment, from apartment dwellers to land trusts. Whether you are a homeowner trying to make their yard more bird friendly, a daycare putting in a pollinator garden, or a town looking to do a restoration project, we’d love to work with you! In addition to personal and project-based consultations, we also can lead talks and workshops on a variety of nature based topics, including living in harmony with nature, eating invasive species, and plant identification walks and workshops.
Woollybear (Pyrrhartica isabella) caterpillar on horse nettle (Solanum carolinense).
Spotted turtle (Clemmys guttata) rambles through the brambles of swamp dewberry (Rubus hispidus).
