Welcome to the GSWA Plant for Pollinators Program – Open April 1-19!
2024 Native Plant Ordering is CLOSED!
Thank you for supporting the Great Swamp Watershed and our 4th Annual Plant for Pollinators Program.
Keep an eye out for the Reminder Email before pick-up days, containing your selected location details such as date, time, and address, as well as contact information for assistance.
CLICK HERE for the Plant Sale Order Form to purchase your Garden Kits, Individual Species, and Additional Orderable Items.
Order Pick Up: Orders will be distributed locally to your pre-selected partner-operated pickup location. At time of checkout, it is mandatory to choose one of the 14 local sites to submit your order. Preview the 2024 Pickup Locations available through our 2024 Plant Sale Partners.
NEW Ordering Process in 2024
This year the Catalog is separate from the Shopping link. This easy 3-step process is quicker and more robust than the single website used in 2023 and earlier.
Step 1: Explore the Native Plants Catalog
- Use the Downloadable Interactive Native Plant Catalog for thorough, detailed searches using your personal computer
OR - Use the Online Native Plants Overview web page completely online, including on your smartphone
Step 2: Remember or Record what items you want to order and which pickup site you will request
- Kits, Individual Species, Additional Orderable Items
- Printing out the Planning Sheets may help – Individual Species Planning Sheet and Garden Kit Planning Sheet
Step 3: Place your order and select your pickup site online on the Native Plant Shopping Link
- Online sale opens Apr 1 @ 1:30 PM and runs through Apr 19 @ 5 PM
- CLICK HERE for the Plant Sale Order Form to purchase your Garden Kits, Individual Species, and Additional Orderable Items.
In our 4th annual Plant for Pollinators Program, our mission is to inspire the widespread adoption of native plant gardens across our region. These gardens play a crucial role in providing essential habitats for pollinator insects and bird communities, acting as foundational elements for our local ecosystem. Together, we’re turning private yards into what the renowned lecturer and entomologist Doug Tallamy affectionately terms a Homegrown National Park™.
Operated by the Great Swamp Watershed Association and its Community Plant Sale Partners, the Native Plant Program is supported by promotional efforts and volunteers from 15 local towns and 10 non-governmental organizations. Come join us in cultivating spaces that not only enhance the beauty of our surroundings but also make substantial contributions to the well-being of our precious pollinators and the entire local ecosystem.
CLICK HERE to join Native Plant Program List to receive ongoing email updates and reminders!
Calling All Volunteers! Factory Days Signups Now Open
We are now accepting volunteer sign-ups for our plant processing week! CLICK HERE to sign up and choose your time slot. We rely on our trusted volunteers and could not do this program without you!
Elevate your garden with vibrant native pollinators effortlessly:
- 2024 GSWA Plant for Pollinators Offerings
Before April 1st, use the Full Catalog Preview List to view the 36 individual species and six kits that will be available.
Utilize the printable Planning Sheets to help organize your plant needs and notes for your garden planning – Individual Species Planning Sheet and Garden Kit Planning Sheet. Having a list of plants you would like to buy will make the ordering process much easier. - Pollinator Information: All the native plants included in our Native Plant Program provide critical habitat and food for pollinators, and supporting the highest diversity possible is important. We have compiled a list with some, but not all, of the pollinators that rely on these species. This does not include all of the wildlife that need native plants in their habitat, because the list would never end!
- Sign Up for All Four Zoom Webinars:
Visit the registration page for the Native Pollinator Plant Webinar Series. This streamlined registration not only guarantees timely reminder emails with the Zoom link for each of the four talks, but also ensures that you receive recording links for all four webinars within 48 hours of each talk’s conclusion. For those interested in specific talks, individual sign-ups are available on the respective event pages available on our Events page. - 2024 Online Ordering:
The Plant Program Shopping site is open for online orders on Apr 1 @ 1:30 PM and runs through Apr 19 @ 5 PM. - Order Pick Up:
Orders will be distributed locally to your pre-selected partner-operated pickup location. At time of checkout, it is mandatory to choose one of the 14 local sites to submit your order. Preview the 2024 Pickup Locations available through our 2024 Plant Sale Partners. (Subject to change)
- Pollinator Planning Garden Kit Manuals:
Each of the six garden kits comes with a garden owner’s manual packed with guidance on your new pollinator garden, complete with sample planting designs, seasonal maintenance schedules, pollinator information and more. Download the manuals early to help you prepare your garden.
• Best-Behaved Manual (Separate PDF)
• Deer Resistant Manual (Separate PDF)
• Dry Shade Manual (Separate PDF)
• Dry Sun Manual (Separate PDF)
• Wet Shade Manual (Separate PDF)
• Wet Sun Manual (Separate PDF)
- If You Have More Questions:
For specific queries about plants or garden designs, email plantsale@greatswamp.org. For technical inquiries, contact nrago@greatswamp.org.
Embark on a journey to enjoy blooming landscapes and the mesmerizing dance of butterflies and other pollinators from spring to fall. Create a spectacle that will enchant your garden for years to come!
Why Native Plant Gardens?
Our yards have the power to provide critical habitat for threatened bird and insect populations and also provide us with beautiful flowers to enjoy. Create your own important part of the region-wide network of yards that support a sustainable ecosystem – a Homegrown National Park™.
Finding a good selection of locally appropriate native plants for your garden can be difficult. We make it easy for you by providing a selection of native plants suited to our local soils and climate (our local ecoregion).
Why is a native plant more appropriate than an exotic or non-native plant? Wildlife may eat the fruit and seeds of exotics or non-native plants but it does not mean that their nutritional needs are fully met. Pollinators and other wildlife co-evolved with native plants and require them for food and habitat across their entire life cycle. Pollinator insects require native plants to lay their eggs, feed their larva, and to provide a continuous sequence of blooms to meet adult insect requirements from nectar and pollen. Most insects evolved to have some degree of specialized host plant requirements. For one extreme example, Monarch butterfly eggs and caterpillars completely depend on milkweed. Healthy insect populations are a foundation of the food web. Birds and other wildlife require large volumes of protein-rich insects in their diets in order to reproduce and also native seeds and berries to get through the fall and winter. A classic study of Chickadee reproduction (Naranjo) found that suburban neighborhoods required 70% or more native plants for the birds to be able to raise their young. Native plants are the ONLY choice to sustain the ecosystem.