Go Wild! Grow Native!

If you love gardening, you’ll love this plant sale, where five vendors will share all the reasons to prefer native plants, which are easier to care for and better for songbirds, pollinators, and the planet. Meet the native plant growers here.

Bring some wild home to spruce up your garden!  Five native plant vendors are coming together at the Runge Nature Conservation Center in Jefferson City this Saturday, March 23, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., bringing you a garden extravaganza that will benefit the birds, the bees, and the butterflies! Gaylena’s Gardens, Missouri Wildflowers, Ozark Soul, Prairie Hill Farm, and SunRise Gardens will be your guides to a wide world of native perennial wildflowers, grasses, sedges, vines, shrubs, and trees. Whether your garden is sunny, shady, dry, or moist, they’ve got you covered!  Why go native? Native plants are beautiful, but they also serve as a delectable buffet for pollinators, songbirds, butterflies, and other wildlife.  Bonus: Native plants are not as finicky as non-natives. Here’s another guide. “Not only are native plants easy to take care of, but there is a native tree, shrub, vine or other plant that is perfect for every situation.”” said Austin Lambert, naturalist at Runge Conservation Nature Center. The native plant vendors are donating a portion of their proceeds to support the Grow Native program—what a way to benefit your own landscape and the world’s pollinators, birds, and even water quality at the same time! You can  pre-order  plants from four of these green wizards by March  21(unless otherwise noted) and have your botanical treasures ready and waiting for you at the sale. Here’s how:

• Gaylena’s Gardens: Email [email protected] for plant availability information and to place pre-orders.
• Visit Missouri Wildflowers for a plant list and then call 573-496-3492 or email [email protected].
• Visit Ozark Soul for a plant list and then email or phone [email protected], 816-809-4062 by 5 p.m. Wednesday, March 20.
• Place preorders at Sunrise Gardens. 

When: Saturday, March 23, 2024, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Where: Runge Conservation Nature Center, 330 Commerce Dr., Jefferson City, MO 65109 Read about Missouri’s native flowering trees.