Native Plant Trust Celebrates 125 Years
Inspired by nature, powered by science
Originally called the Society for the Protection of Native Plants, our organization was established to help combat the over-collection of native plants in New England. Our name has changed, but our mission—to conserve and promote New England’s native plants to ensure healthy, biologically diverse landscapes—has remained fundamentally the same. Our achievements in plant conservation have been possible only through the perseverance and determination of staff, educators, and volunteers, and with the support of Native Plant Trust advocates like you.
Achievements such as:
- Establishing the New England Plant Conservation Program and the Plant Conservation Volunteers program to research, monitor, survey, and collect the seeds of rare plant species on private land throughout New England
- Contributing to the delisting of a globally rare alpine plant species, Robbins's cinquefoil (Potentilla robbinsiana), from the Federal Endangered Species List
- Producing some of the region's most comprehensive documents about rare and common plants, including Flora Conservanda, State of the Plants, and Conserving Plant Diversity in New England in collaboration with The Nature Conservancy
This year, we celebrate these achievements and embark on new initiatives to catapult us into the next 125 years. We invite you to celebrate with us, learn with us, and join the movement to conserve and promote New England’s native plants.
Leading the Movement to Conserve Native Plants
This year, we are embarking on an ambitious journey to accelerate our conservation efforts. In the current state of the climate and the world, nature needs us more than ever. We have a clear vision of what action we need to take and we are looking to you to help get us there. Click the arrow to learn more about what we have planned for 2025.
Restoration Accelerator™
Formerly known as the “seed hub," the Restoration Accelerator™ is the single most important initiative Native Plant Trust has undertaken in 20 years. There is an urgent need to increase the pace and scale at which we restore lands across the region. The Restoration Accelerator™ will dramatically increase our collective ability to do so with ecotypic native plants. At our seed-processing facility at Nasami Farm, and through our regional network, we are working with partners to grow, clean, store, and sell ecotypic seeds in bulk; and provide technical assistance to help other growers of seeds and native plants expand their own capacity.
Join the Celebration - Join the Movement
Our 2025 programs have been thoughtfully curated to provide you with many pathways to expand your knowledge about native plants, take action against climate change, and marvel at the wonders of rare plants and ecosystems. Click the arrow to see our special events.
Join the Movement: 2025 Symposium
Our 2025 spring symposium gathers ecological gardening and landscape experts to share their experience and ways to use native plants in gardens of any size. Our topics, tailored for gardeners at all levels, lovers of the natural world, and environmental advocates will include choosing the right native plant for your space, the importance of ecological gardening, maintaining your garden through all four seasons, and more. Panelists include Native Plant Trust Director of Horticulture Uli Lorimer, founder of The Perfect Earth Project Edwina Von Gal, and regenerative landscape designer and former president of the Ecological Landscape Alliance Trevor Smith. Mark your calendar for Saturday May 3 and check back for registration information.
Trillium Week
Our nationally accredited collection of trilliums is over a decade old and a true spectacle to see, especially during peak bloom. We will be hosting a series of tours and special events in May including a world premiere of music–created right in the heart of the garden–by renowned artist Scooby Laposky at our Twilight Trilliums event, and a behind-the-scenes look at the collection with Native Plant Trust Horticulturist Cole Campbell. Mark your calendar to join us at Garden in the Woods May 11-18, and check back for event dates and registration information.
Discover Hidden Gems at our Native Plant Sanctuaries
Join Native Plant Trust experts and fellow nature lovers in exploring the peaceful, natural landscapes of our native plant sanctuaries throughout New England.
- Plainfield Sanctuary: Tour the unusually diverse communities of wildflowers and ferns alongside the steep banks of this 86-acre expanse. Date to be announced.
- Harvey Butler Rhododendron Sanctuary: Explore this secret garden known for its impressive (and unusual for this far north) five-acre display of great rosebay (Rhododendron maximum). Date to be announced.
- Eshqua Bog: Observe the delicate habitat of showy lady’s-slipper (Cypripedium reginae), wild orchid and other wetland plants led by botanist and author Ted Elliman.
For questions about our 2025 programs and events, contact education@NativePlantTrust.org.
Take Action in Your Ecoregion
In the coming years, the effects of climate change will be more visible on the landscape–from shifts in species distribution in the wild to changes in what plants will thrive in our gardens. Click the arrow to learn more about the ways in which you can help increase the beauty and resilience of New England and the planet.
Buy Native Plants
Most of our plants start from seed that is sustainably harvested from wild populations throughout our region, building in genetic diversity and resilience. All the plants we sell are grown without pesticides or chemical fertilizers, so they will delight your eye and support the insects and other animals that depend on them. Our 2025 native plant list is now live and we are accepting pre-orders. This list is updated every week throughout the season to reflect current availability.
Recycle Our Plant Pots
In an effort to help reduce the amount of plastic waste produced at our garden centers, we will be accepting returns of our plastic plant containers and trays at Garden in the Woods and Nasami Farm during the 2025 open season. At both garden and nursery locations, if you bring these materials into the plant sales area we will direct you where to recycle them. Please note: this initiative is only available for materials (plastic pots and trays) that were purchased through Native Plant Trust. We cannot take back pots, containers, or trays that were purchased elsewhere.
Plant for Pollinators
Aside from adding natural beauty and diversity to your garden, native plants provide essential habitat for pollinators. The best way to take action in increasing the biodiversity, beauty and resilience of our ecoregion is to grow a pollinator garden. Native pollinators need native plants for habitat, and native plants need native pollinators to reproduce. Our pollinator kits are carefully selected mixes of native plants tailored to accommodate your specific growing conditions. Paired with our free guide, Gardening for Pollinators, you should have all the tools you need to plan, create and maintain your own pollinator garden.
Practice Ecological Gardening Methods
The principles of ecological gardening are simple: work with, not against, nature to achieve a beautiful, sustainable garden. If you choose the right native plant, put it in the right place, and use no chemicals, you can transform your home landscapes and public spaces into islands of habitat for insects, birds, and other wildlife. Our variety of gardening tip sheets can help you decide exactly what to plant and where.
A Species to Celebrate: Plymouth Rose-gentian
Our logo has undergone a splashy (and temporary) change to honor our 125th year: the addition of the rare plant Plymouth rose gentian (Sabatia kennedyana). Found primarily in Massachusetts, it tells a unique story. Click the arrow to learn more about this plant and our work to protect it.
Plymouth rose-gentian (Sabatia kennedyana) is a globally rare, eastern endemic species. Populations occur only in the eastern United States, in patches along the coastal plain in three isolated areas: Nova Scotia (Canada), New England (Massachusetts and Rhode Island), and in North and South Carolina. Within New England, Plymouth rose-gentian occurs mainly in Massachusetts. This herbaceous perennial thrives on sandy and peaty margins of coastal lakes and ponds, often adjacent to areas with fluctuating water levels, which help keep habitats open and reduces competition. For more information about this species, visit Native Plant Trust’s Go Botany platform.
Native Plant Trust actively monitors approximately 148 populations of Plymouth rose-gentian in New England with the help of Plant Conservation Volunteers and New England Plant Conservation Program state task force members. With a significant increase in monitoring this species, we know that populations are now larger than previously documented. This plant remains at risk, however, due to continuing shoreline development, water table draw-down, competition with invasive plants and algae growth caused by pollution, poaching, and trampling by off-road vehicles.
“Plymouth rose-gentian is a jewel in the crown of the coastal plain pond shores of southern New England. Because it inhabits some of New England’s most beautiful and fragile landscapes, Sabatia kennedyana is among many organisms whose protection preserves our collective natural heritage.” —Michael Piantedosi, former Director of Conservation.
