I live in the central valley of California (zone 9B) and even though I live in a city, I have critters (racoons, squirrels, opossums, foxes) come visit my neighborhood regularly. I want to be more water-wise in my gardening and also give back to my environment and start planting more native plants in my little piece of the earth--plants that are good for the birds, the pollinators and other creatures that may visit my yard. It hasn't been easy for me to identify nurseries in my area that grow native plants for sale.
While traveling through Sacramento, I had a little extra time before returning home. I decided to search the area for a native plant nursery. Thankfully, Mother Natives showed up on my Yelp search. The nursery is small but mighty. It is nestled along an unassuming industrial street to the south east of Fresno City College--not too far of a detour from the freeway (it is in between highways 99 and 5), and has a small gravel parking lot adorned by beautiful murals and native garden patches.
I found the nursery on a cold and quiet February morning, and enjoyed looking around, as they had everything I was looking for. If you're looking for native grasses, herbs, berries, trees, or shrubs, you'll find what your looking for. Service was excellent, and the staff member (possibly owner?) took time answering all my questions and helping me find the right plants for my zone and for what my needs were. Many native plants are slow-growing, and they were offered in different sizes and at reasonable prices.
I left with more plants than I expected to bring home (all happily planted and growing well--several weeks later), but fewer plants than I would have liked. I will definitely make this a stop on any path that takes me through Sacramento when they are open. This is a great find--and I hope they are around for a long time! read more