Native Plant Trust

Native Plant Trust Native Plant Trust (NativePlantTrust.org) is the nation’s first plant conservation organization and the only one solely focused on New England’s native plants.
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We operate Garden in the Woods in E. MA; Nasami Farm nursery in W. MA; and six sanctuaries. The mission of Native Plant Trust is to conserve and promote the region’s native plants to ensure healthy, biologically diverse landscapes. Sign up for our free eNews here: https://newenglandwild.us20.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=da2ac32891c8517a5f7bca27c&id=f0bd3f3eb2

Why do flowers have distinct scents? In fact, why do plants produce smells at all? Plants’ Scents and Sensibilities, our...
06/19/2026

Why do flowers have distinct scents? In fact, why do plants produce smells at all? Plants’ Scents and Sensibilities, our Zoom class on Tuesday, June 23, explores these questions from the standpoint of how plants communicate and protect themselves. It also investigates the remarkable ways in which plants sense and respond to their surroundings. Don't miss this fascinating look into the lives of plants. A recording of this class will be available for purchase and viewing for 30 days after it takes place, so if you can't take this webinar on Tuesday evening, just pick a time when you can. Sign up here: https://www.nativeplanttrust.org/events/plants-scents-and-sensibilities/

Photo: Wild cucumber (Echinocystis lobata) © Liza Green

In his latest column for the Boston Globe's "Ask the Gardener", Director of Horticulture Uli Lorimer honors National Pol...
06/18/2026

In his latest column for the Boston Globe's "Ask the Gardener", Director of Horticulture Uli Lorimer honors National Pollinator Week by highlighting the crucial relationship between pollinators and native plants and how to attract beneficial insects to your garden. Read the full artivle here: https://www.boston.com/real-estate/gardening/2026/06/18/national-pollinator-week-bees-moths-butterflies/

"Abundant insect life draws abundant wildlife, too, and when coupled with good ecological garden maintenance practices, results in garden spaces that are alive, resilient, and diverse." -Uli Lorimer

As lovers of native plants, we often share about the critical role they play in supporting pollinators and wildlife, str...
06/17/2026

As lovers of native plants, we often share about the critical role they play in supporting pollinators and wildlife, strengthening biodiversity, and creating plant communities adapted to local conditions. However, we also understand that many home gardeners may have favorite non-native plants that help contribute a certain structure, seasonal interest and sense of continuity in their garden.

How can we reconcile these two interests? Learn how in our online Zoom class, Balancing Native and Non-Native Plantings, on Wednesday, June 24, 2026 from 5:30-7 PM.

Hear practical, approachable tips for incorporating native plants into your landscape alongside non-native favorites, and learn how to integrate them for a balanced, thriving landscape. Register here: https://www.nativeplanttrust.org/events/balancing-native-and-non-native-plantings/

Photo: Plants at Nasami Farm, by / Melissa Blackall

Fungi have become increasingly popular as a subject over the last several years. The world around us relies on fungi to ...
06/15/2026

Fungi have become increasingly popular as a subject over the last several years. The world around us relies on fungi to stay healthy, but fungi also have great potential to throw our ecosystems off balance. Understanding fungi is important for anyone who cares for our environment.

For the longest time, fungi were classified as plants. But, we now know that they're actually close relatives of animals. How does this make sense? It all comes down to DNA and how fungal cells are structured. There is so much diversity in fungi, both in their functional roles in temperate ecosystems and in their morphologies.

Sharpen your mushroom identification abilities while spending a day learning with fellow enthusiasts at Garden in the Woods in Framingham, MA on Friday, June 19 from 10:30 AM–2:30 PM during our Mushrooms for Beginners course, taught by mycologist Thomas Roehl! Learn about the biology, ecology, and morphology of mushrooms, then head outside to find specimens throughout the Garden. Students will learn to look for habitats and ecological roles of fungi and practice using identification guides with mushrooms, which will build basic skills for identifying other species that they find on their own in the future.

Register for the class here: https://www.nativeplanttrust.org/events/mushrooms-for-beginners/

Photo: Mushrooms at Garden in the Woods, Tori Young © Native Plant Trust

Last week, horticulture staff and interns made their annual trip to the Pinkham Notch Visitor Center in Jackson, New Ham...
06/11/2026

Last week, horticulture staff and interns made their annual trip to the Pinkham Notch Visitor Center in Jackson, New Hampshire!

With the help of Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC) staff, Native Plant Trust’s horticulture team stewards the native plant gardens surrounding the visitor center and lodge at Pinkham Notch. This trip is a highlight for staff and interns alike, as they get to garden and botanize in one of the most beautiful parts of New England. Native Plant Trust is greatly appreciative to the AMC staff and Mount Washington Auto Road staff for a great trip. Take a look at some snapshots from our horticulture team of their time in New Hampshire!

Photos: (1) Painted trillium (Trillidium undulatum), Poe Johnson © Native Plant Trust; (2) and (3) tending to the native plant garden, (4) Ladyslipper (Cyperpedium acaule var. alba), Miho Connolly © Native Plant Trust; (5) Native Plant Trust and AMC staff, Cole Campbell © Native Plant Trust; (6) Twistedstalk (Streptopus lanceolatus), Poe Johnson © Native Plant Trust

Plants not only perceive their surroundings, they also respond to them—and the varied characteristics of plants have evo...
06/11/2026

Plants not only perceive their surroundings, they also respond to them—and the varied characteristics of plants have evolved as a result. Take floral scents, for example. Why do flowers produce smells to begin with—and why are the scents of different flowers distinct from one another?

Our upcoming Zoom class, Plants’ Scents and Sensibilities, explores these questions by examining how plants communicate and protect themselves. We’ll also investigate other remarkable ways in which plants respond to their environments that are largely invisible to humans. Zoom in on Tuesday, June 23, 7–8 PM. Register here: https://www.nativeplanttrust.org/events/plants-scents-and-sensibilities/

Photo: Purple milkw**d (Asclepias purpurascens), emits a fragrance that some people compare to a mingling of honey and cinnamon, slightly less sweet than common milkw**d (Asclepias syriaca). Uli Lorimer © Native Plant Trust

To continue our Pollinator Month highlights, Uli Lorimer, director of Horticulture at Native Plant Trust sheds a light o...
06/09/2026

To continue our Pollinator Month highlights, Uli Lorimer, director of Horticulture at Native Plant Trust sheds a light on one of his favorite pollinators, who tricks its predators with mimicry:

Not all flies are a nuisance! Within the flower and hover fly family (Syrphidae) are bee mimics. Drone flies masquerade like bumblebees, complete with fuzzy abdomens, thorax, and striping. All of those hairs are quite efficient at transferring pollen from flower to flower. This isn't just flattery; it's a form of Batesian Mimicry, in which harmless organisms adopt the appearance of dangerous ones. Any predator of the bumblebee fears its sting and would assume the drone fly has a sting too.

Photo: Drone fly (Eristalis spp.) on Stylophorum diphyllum © Uli Lorimer

Seedlings are rapidly growing organisms, and they can require some TLC to thrive during their first season. In our class...
06/08/2026

Seedlings are rapidly growing organisms, and they can require some TLC to thrive during their first season. In our class Native Seedling Care, join Production Horticulturist Cole Campbell to learn how to pot up seedlings and generally set them up for success. This is a follow-up from our winter workshop, Introduction: Native Seed Sowing.

Choose from two available sessions, both at Garden in the Woods, our botanic garden in Framingham, MA:

Native Seedling Care 1 -Saturday, June 13, 10-11:30 AM (register at https://www.nativeplanttrust.org/events/native-seedling-care-1/)

Native Seedling Care 2 - Sunday, June 14, 10-11:30 AM
(register at https://www.nativeplanttrust.org/events/native-seedling-care-2/)

Photo: Seedlings of golden Alexander (Zizia aurea), Karime Gutierrez © Native Plant Trust

For amateur gardeners and even some pros, knowing which native shrubs and trees will deliver the aesthetic and wildlife ...
06/07/2026

For amateur gardeners and even some pros, knowing which native shrubs and trees will deliver the aesthetic and wildlife value you are looking for—and what conditions they will thrive in—is often a step above being well-schooled in perennials. Our class Native Woody Plant Materials, led by expert horticulturist Trevor Smith, offers an opportunity to explore the huge variety of native trees, shrubs, and woody vines species: which ones flourish in shade, which support local birds and other wildlife, and how to stagger plantings for continual bloom, fruit production, and fall color. You'll also learn growth characteristics and cultural requirements, as well as the best horticultural uses for these species.

Sign up now for this two-part course at Garden in the Woods (Framingham, MA), Saturdays June 20 and June 27, 10:30 AM–1:30 PM: http://www.nativeplanttrust.org/events/native-woody-plant-materials/

Photo: A wetlands shrub, common buttonbush (Cephalanthus occidentalis), in bloom © Uli Lorimer

Happy Pride Month! Pride Month is a celebration of the beautiful diversity that exists within the LGBTQ+ community. Prid...
06/06/2026

Happy Pride Month! Pride Month is a celebration of the beautiful diversity that exists within the LGBTQ+ community. Pride Month reminds us that our differences make us stronger and that every individual deserves to be celebrated for who they are.

Native Plant Trust understands that celebrating biological diversity bridges the gap between nature and people, and to this, we celebrate Pride Month with a kaleidoscope of plant colors and forms. Nature welcomes all 🌈💐🌳🪻🌿
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Photos, from top to bottom: (1) Cardinal flower (Lobelia cardinalis) © Uli Lorimer; (2) Butterfly w**d (Asclepias tuberosa) © Uli Lorimer; (3) Roundleaf ragwort (Packera obovata) © Dan Jaffe; (4) Cattail sedge (Carex typhina) © Uli Lorimer; (5) Bottle gentian (Gentiana clausa) © Uli Lorimer; (6) Sharp-lobed hepatica (Anemone acutiloba) © Uli Lorimer

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321 Commonwealth Road, Suite 204
Wayland, MA
01778

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