New Hampshire Home March-April 2023 - 55

the early 1600s. Since demand for these
plants has grown, nurseries around the
state are stocking more of them, but be
mindful when shopping. Everything is
native somewhere, so make sure the word
native also includes a region indicating
that it is a New England or Northeast
native suited to our weather conditions,
rather than, say, a California native that
would not survive.
Instead of purchasing a plant that has
been pre-treated with chemicals and
shipped from who-knows-where to a big
box store, look for locally raised, chemical-free
ones. These nurseries often began
out of necessity when garden designers
and landscapers who needed natives
for their projects could not find them in
our area and started growing their own.
Look for more native nurseries to open as
demand increases.
Native Nurseries are Growing
Found Well Farm in Pembroke has been
specializing in native plants since its
inception in 2003. Owner Ayn Whytemare
has a B.A. in environmental science, a
master's in forest ecology and currently
teaches sustainable agriculture at NHTI.
Formerly a landscaper, she worked on
large mitigation and restoration projects
that relied heavily on native plants. She
raises many of her perennials from seed
collected from plants on her property but
also uses seeds from the Wild Seed Project
and Fedco Seeds in Maine, and from
Prairie Moon Nursery in Minnesota.
By growing straight species instead of
nativars (cultivated variations of native
plants), Whytemare gets plants that are
hardier and have higher wildlife value
since they offer more nectar and pollen.
" Many places talk about native plants,
but so few sell actual native plants, " she
says. " Most are improved versions bred
for looks not ecosystem compatibility. "
She buys bare-root shrub and tree
seedlings from local sources such as the
state nursery and grows them for at least
one winter to make sure they will be
hardy in our area before offering them for
sale. Whytemare makes her own potting
soil using compost from the Dirt Doctors
as a base. " It comes with a chemical
profile so I know what amendments to
add to get it balanced perfectly, " she
explains. In the spring, she also grows
certified organic vegetable seedlings in
her greenhouse. They sell out fast, so visit
her website, foundwellfarm.com, and
pre-order now.
Bagley Pond Perennials, located on a
300-acre hillside farm in Warner with a
wide range of habitats, has two greenhouses
and many display gardens. This
candy store for gardeners is now in its
fifth season. Owner Denise Dalaker explains
that it was a rundown farm when
her partner, Mark Govini, bought it in
2013. They have since built a new barn on
an old foundation and reclaimed some
fields for their plants. She plans to add
more woodland plants such as Jack-inthe-pulpit
and trillium and will be designing
a woodland walk to showcase them.
" We source a lot of our seeds from the
farm, " says Dalaker, " but what we don't
have, we try to source locally. "
Though not yet certified organic, they
employ organic methods and specialize
in Northeast regional natives grown
in fiber pots, rather than plastic ones.
" We celebrate when we see caterpillars
in the greenhouse, " says Dalaker. " It
means we are doing things right! " They
supply plants to other nurseries and
retailers in New Hampshire and to the
New Hampshire Audubon in Concord
and the Massabesic Center in Auburn.
Conservation groups, land trusts and
towns order from them, and they have
donated plants to schools with pollinator
gardens. In fact, Bagley Pond provided all
the plants for the new pollinator garden
that was installed at the Bridges House
in Concord last summer. (Look for more
about that garden in a future issue of
New Hampshire Home.) Their excellent
website, bagleypondperennials.com, is
loaded with information and even offers
collections of plants for different growing
situations, complete with garden design
ideas sold as kits, taking the guesswork
out of starting a native plant garden
from scratch.
Fassett Farm Nursery is located in
Fassett Farm Nursery, in Jaffrey, opens for the 2023 season on Wednesday, May 3.
Jaffrey, at the base of Mt. Monadnock.
Aaron Abitz, former owner of Katsura
Landcare, had been using native plants
in his landscape designs for 15 years, but
because they weren't easy to find locally,
he needed to grow his own. In 2019, he
teamed up with landowner Doug Clayton
to start a native plant nursery on an overgrown
10-acre lot Clayton had inherited.
After some logging and clearing of invasives,
in 2020 Clayton received a small
grant from the Cheshire County Conservanhhomemagazine.com
| March / April 2023 53
PHOTO COURTESY FASSETT FARM
http://www.foundwellfarm.com http://www.bagleypondperennials.com http://www.nhhomemagazine.com
New Hampshire Home March-April 2023

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