Local flora

Stop me if you’ve heard this before: Buy local. You travel less, support your neighbors, build community, encourage a healthy democracy, etc. Local plant seller Catskill Native Nursery in Kerhonkson helps us make a local connection to something we see, and take for granted, every day—local plants. The nursery offers perennials, fruits, shrubs, and trees, most of which are native to the Hudson Valley.

A trip to a major chain nursery is filled with color, but some varieties not only travel hundreds of miles to sit on the shelf, but they may need special care if not suited to our climate. Many varieties at Catskill Native Nursery, like rhododendron and bristleleaf sedge, are easily recognizable because they’ve been in the Hudson Valley all along.

Locally-grown plants are easier to care for, simply because they’ve adapted to this area and our weather conditions. They provide food and habitat for birds, insects, and other life, and pests can be more easily managed with minimal pesticides. Incorporating local plants restores the biodiversity of not just your space, but the surrounding area as well.  

The nursery also has cacti and aquatic varieties, herbs, lots of statuary and pots. It opened in 1999 and is run by Francis, Diane and their super cute and social Icelandic sheepdogs.

Catskill Native Nursery: www.catskillnativenursery.com