California native plant growers Lotus Valley Natives is located just 6 miles from us. They are a new grower, maybe just a couple of years in business. The nursery is
a wholesale only and closed to the public, which can pose a problem for native plant enthusiasts. What we have done is set aside an area in the nursery that will be devoted to native plants. They tend to be viewed, and sell better when they are grouped together.
The area we have set aside is basically going to be a mini-Lotus Valley nursery, where the the best of what they have to offer will be available to the native plant enthusiast seven days a week. It's a win-win situation for both nurseries. It allows Lotus Valley a location to send people who are interested in natives and want to visit any day of the week. It gives us the best selection of native plants in a three county area! Native plant enthusiasts will drive a distance for a good selection of natives.
I think there are more possibilities for this type of partnering. Lotus Valley will restock the selection every couple of weeks, and we hope to hold workshops on the use of natives in our landscapes. Our first workshop will be April 24th, at 10am in our new workshop building (the old store). The interest in using native plants is going to grow as people put more time and energy into the food producing portion of their gardens. Natives, properly placed will cut down the amount of maintenance needed in the rest of the landscape. Here in northern California where the summers are dry, natives once established take little or no water. A huge benefit.