Landscapes across the KC Metro are shining with their spring blooms and emerging greenery. Deep Roots’ season of native plant sales began in earnest when our April 12th Prairie Village event brought hundreds of gardeners out. Whether you’re starting a new garden, incorporating native species into your ornamental landscape, or converting whole lawns to regenerative, wildlife-supporting species, getting connected with our upcoming May sale will offer you a wide selection of high-quality nursery stock. As we’re anticipating another wildly popular event on May 10th, we wanted to take a moment to highlight our community of vendors who will be in attendance at the Anita B. Gorman Conservation Discovery Center.
A perennial staple of the native plant community, Missouri Wildflowers Nursery holds a regular presence at dozens of events throughout the lower Midwest. In operation for over 40 years, their team produces and sells over 300 species of native plants, including some varieties that they personally introduced to the market. Their catalog is highly anticipated every year and serves as one of the more comprehensive resources for selecting the perfect native plant for any site condition. Be sure to stop by their booth on May 10th and pick up a few pots of their “Plant of The Year,” Purple Poppy Mallow (Callirhoe involucrata).
City Roots Nursery is a local favorite, and their retail location at 31st and Woodland in Kansas City, Missouri is a wealth of inspiration, where their expert staff can guide home gardeners and landscape professionals alike. They also have developed a production facility in Lawson, MO, where their capacity has greatly expanded and where their winter seed processing and sowing was featured in a recent Deep Roots Native Plant Webinar. Not sure what to do with your undamaged pots after your installations are complete? City Roots gladly accepts returns of undamaged 3-inch starter pots, square quart pots, and tree and shrub pots in 1–5-gallon sizes.
Sow Wild Natives opened their retail space on Noland Road in Lee’s Summit, MO in September of 2017, but the seeds of their mission began to germinate four years earlier, when they purchased a 92-acre parcel of land in Johnson County, MO that they aptly named Harmony Farms. The balance of native ecosystems inspired their exploration of seed collection and native plant propagation that has blossomed into a thriving nursery business. They have reforested 25 acres of former cropland along Little Blackwater Creek, and another 25 acres of the conservation property have been planted in prairie species, with the land serving as a perennial source for their nursery stock. Their conservation legacy had been featured in a 2017 article in the popular Missouri Conservationist Magazine.
Once you’re stocked up on plants from our nursery vendors, be sure to check out Leaf and Sky’s booth for hand-crafted artisan goods to complement your native gardening lifestyle. Original art, eco-friendly stationery, and high-quality, bespoke textiles nestle perfectly alongside well-constructed wooden houses and feeders for birds, bees, butterflies, and pollinators of all sizes. Their passion for living in the space where “Design Meets Conservation” has drawn widespread attention at artist markets and fairs throughout the region, and it’s not just good, sustainable business that exemplifies their work – they’re also opening their home garden as one highlighted landscape in our Habitat Garden Tours this spring, coinciding perfectly with the Native Plant Sale at the Discovery Center.
Deep Roots is so grateful to all our local and regional vendors who provide for this community of stewards, and we hope that you dedicate your support to independent native plant-focused businesses. Their dedication to high-quality goods and services ensures that the healthiest, genetically diverse regional ecotypes make their way into the Kansas City market, and on into your landscapes. From supporting Deep Roots at February’s Plan It Native Conference, to inspiring gardeners of all levels, these exemplary professionals make our work possible, and we hope you join us to support them all at our upcoming event on May 10th.
