New England’s native plants and habitats are in trouble. We’ve lost more than half of our grasslands and coastal marshes, 10,000 dams on our rivers negatively affect plant health, and for the first time in two centuries, New England is losing forest. Because native plants compose the habitat for all animals, from black bears to black swallowtails, these losses ripple outward. Eventually, the impacts will shrink our food supply, sap our economy, and dim the beauty of our region.

Ecological restoration is a composite field, relying on knowledge of botany, floristics, conservation, and horticulture to repair damaged wildlands. At Native Plant Trust, our Conservation and Horticulture departments work together to supply plants, seeds, and expertise to aid ecological restoration. Native Plant Trust’s staff are often called on by restoration practitioners to source and propagate wild, regionally adapted seed for restoration projects.

Native plants are the cornerstone of Earth’s ecosystems. By conserving native plants in the wild and using them in designed spaces, we protect and enhance the integrity, resilience, diversity, and beauty of our planet. Ecological horticulture reflects a shift in gardening that values ecological function equally with aesthetics. Our region is grappling with habitat loss, fragmentation, and the rise of ecologically harmful species, resulting in biodiversity loss, all amid an unpredictable climate. This approach to gardening offers hope, agency, and a solution to these challenges, grounded in the firm belief that the intentional use of native plants in gardens and avoidance of pesticides and herbicides repair and restore our regional ecosystems.

Native Plant Trust’s mission is participatory by design. Our public programs provide the training volunteers, community members, and professionals need to join the native plant movement. We offer a wide range of learning opportunities including low cost introductory level virtual courses on in-demand topics, hands-on workshops on seed starting and seed farming for professionals and passionate hobby horticulturists.