Atlanta Area Spring 2021 Native Plant Sales and Nurseries

I made a flyer of native plant sales on March 7 last year and within weeks the world was shut down and sales were cancelled.

Last spring most of the spring native plant sales vanished because of the pandemic. This spring a little normalcy has returned, but things are still a bit wonky with many sales being online, by appointment, or just not happening. Now is peak native plant sale time so I compiled a short list of the remaining spring sales and nurseries selling native plants in the Atlanta area. I took most of the information from social media and websites. Click on highlighted links to go directly to the websites,

Native perennials may not look like much when you first buy them, but just remember the old gardening adage "first year, plants sleep, second year, they creep and third year, they leap"

Atlanta Area Spring 2021 Native Plant Sales Fernbank Science Center Online Plant Sale Plant sale dates are from April 14 starting at 7am through April 24. You can order online and arrange pick up at the Fernbank Science Center located at 56 Heaton Park Dr, Atlanta, GA 30307. Summer veggies and annual flowers are available along with native and non-native perennials, trees and shrubs. The best way to make sure a plant is native is to look it up before purchasing. One quick way to tell if a plant is a straight native species is it won't have a name (such as "sunshine") in parenthsis after it. If it does, it's a non-native plant or a cultivar. They had a similar sale last fall and the plants were nice sized and healthy for the price. Email kyla_zaro-moore@dekalbschoolsga.org with questions, Some native you’ll find at this sale are green and gold, dogwood, sweetshrub, white doll’s daisy, buttonbush, mayapple, cinnamon or royal fern, white or blue false indigo, ox-eye sunflower, prairie coneflower, Chapman’s blazing star, bluestem goldenrod, white fringe tree, cardinal flower, rose mallow, blue star, yellow passionflower, titi tree, native oak varieties. Note: I noticed there was a butterfly bush on the plant list. Even though this one is sterile, just don't buy it - there are so many better choices!)

Georgia Audubon, Oconee Rivers Audubon and Beech Hollow Farms Spring Online Sale from Wednesday, March 31 through Monday, April 19. Plants need to be ordered and paid for online and picked-up on designated day in Atlanta or Athens. Plants cannot be held later than this. You can also call 678-973-2437 to order by phone. Inventory will be updated throughout sale so check website every couple days. Athens pick-up is at Beech Hollow Wildflower Farm 1575 Elberton Road, Lexington on Saturday, April 24 from 10am-2pm. Atlanta pick-up is at the new Beech Hollow location in Scottdale, 389 N. Clarendon Ave, Scottdale, Ga (near Your Dekalb Farmers Market) on Sunday, April 25, from 10am-4pm

GSU Perimeter College Native Plant Sale Plant Sale Dates are Friday April 9, Saturday April 10, Friday April 16, Saturday April 17, Friday April 23, and Saturday April 24. You need to sign-up online for slots to shop in person. Only cash and checks are accepted for payment. This sale is one of the few that is all native plants and they're well priced for the size. Many of the plants are grown on-site, including one of the largest local selections of native grasses, sedges and ferns. A tiny percentage of the bushes and trees may have been treated with neonicotinoids, so ask Christine about the plants you choose. Check out the Botanical Garden at GSU while you're at the sale. The address is 3251 Panthersville Road Decatur, GA 30034. Contact Christine cpatrum@gsu.edu for more information about the sale. At the sale she's always super helpful with plant selection information.

Root House Plant Sale William Root House Museum & Garden plant sale is on April 24 from 9:00am-2:00pm. There will be a variety of vintage and native plants. The Plant Sale normally sells out quickly, so it sounds like it might be best to arrive at 9am for the best selection. Credit card payment is encouraged. I've never been to this sale, but it looks interesting. Sale is at 80 N Marietta Parkway NW - Marietta, GA, 30060. Call 770.426.4982 for more information. Trees Atlanta Native Plant Sale at Carter Center is April 10 from 8am-1pm. The address is 453 John Lewis Freedom Parkway NE, Atlanta, GA 30307. There is a plant sale inventory on the website with a list of the many cultivars and non-natives mixed in with a base of great native plants. Trees Atlanta usually has pretty informative signage and knowledgeable volunteers helping out if you just want to make sure you're buying the straight species. Wylde Center Self-Serve Plant Sale is ongoing during daylight hours at 435 Oakview Road, Decatur. The sale is in front of the Oakhurst Garden at 435 Oakview Rd. Decatur, GA 30030. Payments can be made via PayPal (payments@wyldecenter.org), or by dropping cash or a check in the front door. Instructions for payment are posted on the front porch. During the months the sale is open, the selection changes so check back in. You will also find more non-native than native plants so you need to know your plants or look them up while you're there. If there's a name in parenthesis after the plant name such as "little gem", there's a good chance it's not native. They have a nice variety of healthy vegetable seedlings and herbs, and sell bags of worm castings, seeds, and honey as well.

Native plant nurseries are a way to get your native plant fix without the anxiety of Black Friday mentality you sometimes find at the beginning of a one-time native plant sale!

Atlanta Area Native Plant Nurseries

Beech Hollow Wildflower Farm is having the Grand Opening of their expanded retail outdoor area in Scottdale (near Your Dekalb Farmers Market) on Saturday, April 17th from 10am to 4pm. Starting the week of April 22nd the hours of operation will be Thursday through Sunday from 10am until 4pm. The address is 393 North Clarendon Ave, Scottsdale. I believe this will be the only 100% native plant nursery ITP for those of us intown who need a closer and more consistent native plant resource.

Garden*Hood Is a small, independent intown nursery in Atlanta offering both native and non-native plants. Last I checked they are open by appointment only from Tuesday through Sun from 10:00am - 4:00pm and are located at 353 Boulevard Street, SE, Atlanta,

Nearly Native Nursery Is a fun independent nursery to visit south of Atlanta. It's open Wednesday through Saturday from 9am-6pm from April 1 through May 31. They are closed Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. The address is 776 McBride Road, Fayetteville, GA 30215. Call 770-460-6284 for questions. As the name states, they have both native and non-native plants and also do mail order. . Nightsong Native Nursery Is a small independent nursery north of Atlanta offering native plants only. They're open on Saturdays from March through June from 10-3 with no appointment necessary. Contact nightsongnatigves@gmail.com for an appointment Monday-Friday. The address is 1095 Epperson Road, Canton, GA 30115 and the phone number is 770-401-8896. The owner is super helpful and knowledgeable - I always seem to leave with a carload of plants!

I try to only buy plants I can realistically put in the ground in one week but often break this rule!