Your yard can
help the planet.
There has never been a more important time to cultivate resilient landscapes welcoming to life. By incorporating even a few plants local to our region, we can help restore ecological safety on the patches of land we call home.
These special plants:
- provide food and shelter for thousands of birds, insects, and wildlife,
- draw carbon out of the atmosphere more effectively than even trees,
- alleviate flooding with their extensive root systems,
- prevent baby caterpillar losses when planted under trees,
- and are a form of “tree heat insurance” thanks to their moisture-retaining abilities.
One Nashville resident offered this feedback unsolicited: “I’ve been trying for awhile to get more native plants in our yard, but between the research and finding plants in stock, it’s been pretty overwhelming. This initiative is like a dream come true!”
“In an urbanizing world, the pollinator health crisis is one problem that an individual urban dweller can truly do something about.” - Damon Hall, PhD
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Our plants start like these...
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and grow
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...into these, all in one season.
Conservation Outcomes
Research conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey indicates that plantings of multiple, smaller pockets of native plants are just as important as efforts aimed at large-acre operations.
Our goal is to enhance and expand the ecological footprint of Nashville’s parks, creating habitat corridors and migration oases. The blue dots on this map resulted from our two 2023 plant co-ops.
“If a garden can link with other gardens and green space, it can become part of that connective webbing that will allow species to interact and respond to environmental pressures.” - Isabella Tree, Book of Wilding
In two years, we have distributed over 13,500 native plants to Nashville & the surrounding Cumberland River Basin.
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A fritillary butterfly & bee sharing swamp milkweed.
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A box turtle munching on clustered mountain mint.
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Buddies with a maximillian's sunflower.
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Versute sharpshooters cozy on a wild bergamot leaf.
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A spider's home in woodbine vine.
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Neighbors with lots of native plants!
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An Eastern green frog found in narrowleaf mountain mint.
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Goldenrod soldier beetles making more - thanks, anise hyssop.
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A broadhead skink sheltering under 'John Clayton' honeysuckle vine.
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Monarch caterpillar siblings on common milkweed.
Nature needs you.
Maybe you want to experiment in your yard, but don’t want to risk a lot of money on it. Because native plants evolved in the weather and soil conditions most likely to occur in your area, and we thoroughly research the species we offer, your chances of success are higher when gardening with them!
Outdoor plant tending has a learning curve, but community makes every learning curve easier. We send out an e-mail on how to care for your plant kits after our pick-up day. If your interest grows, we recommend the Wild Ones of Middle Tennessee for events, Facebook discussions, and mentorship.
