What is Native Plant Connection?

Demand for native plants is at an all-time high, but native plant growers face many challenges in meeting this demand.

We are a team of scientists, extension professionals, native plant growers, and advocates who are working together to support the long-term success of native plant growers serving ornamental markets, and overall growth of the native plant nursery industry.

In January 2023, we launched a  survey-based needs analysis of native plant nursery professionals to assess interest in forming a professional network of native plant growers, and identify high industry research, teaching, and extension priorities.

You can access the final survey report, here.

Learn more through our webinars

Our monthly webinar series highlighted cutting-edge research surrounding key issues confronting native plant growers, including preserving genetic diversity, marketing to today's consumer, native plant propagation, and more.  Webinars were the 3rd Wednesday of the month, 3pm EST, January - August 2023 (no webinar in February). Access webinar recordings. 

An end goal of our project was to develop a strategic plan that can be used to compete for federal funding, and resource efforts that will meet the needs of native plant nursery professionals.

Are you a native plant nursery professional who would like to stay informed or get involved with our work? Subscribe to our newsletter to learn more about the different ways you can be involved.
This work was supported by the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture, Specialty Crop Research Initiative, proposal number 2022-05310.