Step up your garden game and join us at the Chattahoochee Nature Center for the annual Spring Native Plant Sale! Discover over 100 varieties of plants that will help your garden attract butterflies, pollinators, birds, and more. For the gourmet gardener, herb and veggie seedlings are available for that fresh Farm to Table feel.

 

Horticulturists and local experts will be on-site to help you build a plant community to fit your landscape by selecting a combination of native plants that thrive in the same conditions, including plants for rock gardens, sunny borders, water-wise landscapes, shade, dry shade, and your garden’s wetter and wilder areas. Many of these native plants do well in containers too! Those plants resistant to deer and rabbits will be marked on their information cards.

 

Why buy native plants? They significantly impact the environment and help sustain a healthy ecosystem while promoting biodiversity. According to CNC’s Horticulture Manager Jacqueline McRae, “Plants native to Georgia, meaning plants that our Georgia birds and wildlife depend upon, belong in our Georgia gardens because they provide sources of food, shelter, and places to rear young at the exact times that the natural world needs these things most.” She adds that “When you grow native plants, even on a small scale in a container garden, you are going to make a positive difference for the nature in your yard. It feels really good to watch pollinators visiting the plants you’re growing in summer or to see a chipmunk gather fallen seeds or nuts in fall.”

 

This year, CNC has one of Jacqueline’s favorite plants, Bottlebrush Buckeye (Aesculus parviflora), available for purchase – it certainly has a four-season interest. Large quantities of plants available mean that gardeners can plant in drifts rather than singular plantings. She notes, “Out in nature, plants thrive in large groupings when they have found the right conditions. Pollinators are more attracted to large groupings of the same plants/same colors than to a single plant. It is more efficient to spend more time foraging in one area on plants that are close together.”

 

Why buy from CNC? Many of our plants in the sale are grown on CNC’s campus, meaning that these plants are “clean” and have not been exposed to pesticides or herbicides. Since they haven’t been shipped from other locations, there is a low risk of pests and zero carbon footprint from travel. They have already been acclimated to the area and will have a higher chance of thriving in your garden.

 

As a steward of nature, the CNC proudly houses over 600 native plants found throughout all three geographic regions of Georgia and fosters the restoration of several plant species, seen in its 3-acre gardens. The Butterfly Garden hosts a variety of plants vital to the lives of butterflies – from the tiniest larval stage to adulthood – all while providing vibrant, captivating colors throughout spring and summer. Additionally, the Unity Garden provides fresh, organic produce, which is tenderly cared for and later donated to one of the North Fulton Community Charities food pantries.

 

CNC members have early access to their favorite plants Thursday, March 30, from 4 PM to 7 PM. The sale opens to the public the following day, March 31, from 10 AM to 5 PM during regular CNC business hours. The sale continues on April 1, 7, and 8.

 

“You have the power to make a difference – one native plant at a time.” – Jacqueline McRae.

 

For more on Chattahoochee Nature Center, see www.chattnaturecenter.org