Gardening with native plants doesn’t just benefit birds, it helps people too!
Our Bird-Friendly Native Plants program is all about local: by purchasing native plants from a local garden center or nursery, you’ll invest in your local economy and cultivate base of local knowledge about the best plants for birds in your area.
Our birds will thank you for shopping local – by bringing their vibrant colors and sweet melodies to your yard!
Why else are our local Bird-Friendly Native Plant retailers so essential to our bird-friendly communities?
Local nurseries can provide tailored recommendations to gardeners
Soil quality, temperature, sun and wetness conditions vary depending on where you live, and these factors should influence the plants you pick. Local nurseries will have first-hand knowledge of which perennials, grasses, ferns, flowers, trees and more will thrive in your area. They can help you pick out those plants that will benefit your region’s hyper-local birds, depending on what they like to eat (be it nectar, seeds, or berries)!
Nursery buyers will change their inventory to support demand
“I’ve had customers walk in to Cure Nursery with printed copies of the 400 native plant species spreadsheet and say— ‘I don’t care what it is, it has to be from this list!’” says Katie Davis of Cure Nursery in Pittsboro. “I always want to know what customers are excited about, because we will change our inventory based on that kind of response. I especially like to ask birders what plants they see a lot of critters on. I’ll even barter seeds!”
Garden store employees will learn more about native plants… if they are popular
You can literally change the way your community thinks by buying native plants from local retailers! That’s real power to make positive change. “We’ve built profiles around every single plant,” says Katie, “so we can answer questions before people get here and educate our customers and ourselves.”
Ready to buy local for birds? Get in touch with a knowledgeable staff member at one of our most enthusiastic nurseries to begin your quest:
Mountains
Arden: BB Barns
Burnsville: Carolina Native Nursery
Cashiers: Chattooga Gardens
Old Fort: Painters Greenhouse
Weaverville: Reems Creek
Piedmont
Carrboro: Southern States
Chapel Hill: Piedmont Feed & Garden Center
Chapel Hill: Niche Gardens
Chapel Hill: North Carolina Botanical Garden
Durham: Durham Garden Center
Greensboro: Guilford Garden Center
High Point: Soviero's Tri-County Garden Center
Pittsboro: Cure Nursery
Raleigh (midtown and downtown Raleigh farmer’s markets): Field to Cottage Nursery
Waxhaw: Carolina Heritage Nursery
Winston-Salem: Frank's Perennial Border
