Going Native

Our guest blog comes from Wendy Dorsey of Yellow House Native Plants, a vendor at this year's festival. Here's how Wendy got started in the native plant nursery business:

I had always loved to garden and grow things and had learned enough about native plants to understand how much sense they make. Gardening with plants that have evolved in a certain place require less work and feed more wildlife,

It was the spring of 2020 and I was dividing some of the plants in my yard to share with friends. My husband, a third-generation farmer, and I were talking when it just came to me, there in my garden with plants in hand. I looked at him and said, "I should be growing native perennials," and he said, "You should."  It felt good to say; I knew this was a moment.   

I'd been teaching part-time for ten years.  Our oldest was in college and the youngest would be there soon.  The time was ripe for a new challenge.  I picked the brains of friends who are growers and landscapers, and my husband and I decided to locate the nursery in the middle of our wholesale tree farm.

While it can be hard work physically, it is very easy on the soul. I love the continuous learning that comes with native plants—and the continuous beauty!  An added bonus is that I meet such interesting and cool people.

---