Bulletin #2502, Native Plants: A Maine Source List
By Lois Berg Stack, Extension Professor and Ornamental Horticulture Specialist, University of Maine
For information about UMaine Extension programs and resources, visit extension.umaine.edu.
Find more of our publications and books at extension.umaine.edu/publications/.
Nearly 1500 species of native plants are part of what makes Maine a unique place. Native plants—also called indigenous plants — are those that either originated here or arrived without human intervention.
We have brought many nonnative plants — exotic or alien plants — to Maine as food, fiber, and landscape plants. In addition, we have introduced some nonnative plants unintentionally, as contaminants in crop seed, in the soil of other plants, and in ships’ ballast.
Why are native plants important?
Native plants form the historical basis of our landscape, provide food and habitat for animals, and serve as natural sources of food, fiber, and other products.
Native plants can serve several functions in the landscape. Native shade trees such as red oak and white ash, and evergreens like white pine and eastern hemlock, form the structure of the natural landscape. Fruiting shrubs such as black chokeberry, gray dogwood, and winterberry provide food for wildlife and add seasonal interest to the landscape. Groundcovers like bearberry and creeping juniper can be planted to preserve a sense of open space while reducing the size of lawns. Native perennials and ferns can be used in woodland gardens.
To find out more about native plants that are useful in the landscape, see “Additional Resources” below.
Can nonnative plants cause problems?
Most of the nonnative plants we’ve introduced have a very positive impact on our society and do not threaten our natural landscape. A few, however, have escaped cultivation and become naturalized. In some cases, invasive nonnative plants have displaced native plants, thereby degrading the integrity and diversity of our native plant communities. We’ve all witnessed the spread of purple loosestrife in our wetlands, where it has established large colonies and displaced native plants. Other invasive nonnative plants in Maine include multiflora rose, common and glossy buckthorns, shrubby honeysuckles, Asiatic bittersweet, Japanese knotweed, and Japanese barberry.
While native plants should form the major part of every landscape, selected noninvasive, nonnative plants can add beauty and interest. However, if these nonnative plants were planted exclusively, they would change the overall look of our collective landscape. Over time, our more heavily populated areas could become less “native” in appearance, and more dominated by nonnative trees, shrubs, and other plants. How Maine will look fifty years from now depends a great deal on what we choose to plant today. Each of us, in our own landscape, can play a part in preserving the integrity of the Maine landscape by using native plants.
Where can I get native plants for my landscape?
Below you will find a list, compiled in 2008, of Maine nurseries and garden centers that sell native plants. All of these companies sell propagated native plants only and do not sell plants dug from the wild. Some sell only wholesale, others only retail and some do both. The list is coded to indicate which businesses sell trees, shrubs, perennials, ferns, vines, and groundcovers. Some nurseries and garden centers sell many types of native plants, while others specialize in just a few types. If you are looking for specific native plants, call ahead.
What else can I do to protect Maine’s native landscape?
- Avoid disturbing natural areas or clearing the land of native plants.
- Purchase only propagated native plants, not those dug from the wild.
- Do not purchase or plant invasive nonnative species.
- Discuss your concern about invasive nonnative plants with your local nursery or garden center professionals. Encourage them not to sell these plants, but rather to expand their offerings of propagated native plants.
- Learn to identify plants, so that you can learn more about them and determine if they have invasive tendencies. You can take samples of plants to local nurseries and garden centers for identification, or to your local county Extension office.
- Learn to identify and control invasive nonnative plants in your landscape (see “Additional Resources” below).
- Get involved in community efforts to control invasive nonnative plants on public lands.
Additional Resources
- UMaine Extension’s publications catalog or 800.287.0274 (in Maine)
- Bulletin #2500, Gardening to Conserve Maine’s Native Landscape: Plants to Use and Plants to Avoid, University of Maine Cooperative Extension bulletin: provides a list of native plants that are useful in the landscape
- Maine Invasive Plants & Entire Series, University of Maine Cooperative Extension series 2503: provides identification and control information for twenty-two terrestrial and aquatic invasive plants
For more information: Contact Matthew Wallhead, Ornamental Horticulture Specialist/Assistant Professor, University of Maine Cooperative Extension, at matthew.wallhead@maine.edu.
Company and Plant Offerings | Address | E-mail; website | Phone (area code 207) |
---|---|---|---|
Wholesale Only | |||
Burnt Meadow Nursery T,S,V,P |
PO Box 25, Brownfield, Maine 04010 | burntmeadow@hotmail.com; burntmeadownursery.com |
890.74033 |
Groundnut Hill Nursery, Inc.* T,S |
180 Logging Road, Cape Neddick, Maine 03902 | 361.1300 | |
Pierson Nurseries, Inc.* T,S,V,P,F |
291 Waterhouse Road, Dayton, Maine 04005 | sales@piersonnurseries.com; www.piersonnurseries.com |
499.2994 |
Salmon Falls Nursery and Landscaping* T |
511 Portland Street, Berwick, Maine 03901 | mark@salmonfallsnursery.com | 384.5540 |
Western Maine Nurseries* T,S,V,F |
4 Nursery Lane, Fryeburg, Maine 04037 | wmntrees@nxi.com; www.westernmainenurseries.com |
935.2161 |
Wholesale and Retail | |||
A.C. Parsons Landscaping and Garden Center T,S,V,P,F |
71 Richtown Road, West Tremont, Maine 04612 | landscaping@acparsons.com; www.acparsons.com |
244.7785 |
Broadway Gardens, Inc* T,S,V,P,F |
1640 Broadway, South Portland, Maine 04106 | 772.0415 | |
Estabrook’s Farm and Greenhouses* T,S,V,P,F |
337 East Main Street, Yarmouth, Maine 04096 | jim@estabrooksonline.com; www.estabrooksonline.com |
846.4398 |
Fedco* T,S,V,P,F |
PO Box 520, Waterville, Maine 04903 | trees@fedcoseeds.com; www.fedcoseeds.com |
873.7333 |
Gingerbread Farm Perennials* P |
383 Old Winthrop Road, Wayne, Maine 04284 | gblack1503@aol.com | 685.4050 |
The Green Thumb T,S,V,P,F |
RR 17, PO Box 22, West Rockport, Maine 04865 | 594.5070 | |
Jillson’s Farm Sugarhouse P |
143 Jordan Bridge Road, Sabattus, Maine 04280 | info@jillsonfarm.com; www.jillsonfarm.com |
375.4486 |
KYC Gardens* T,S |
124 Buxton Road, Saco, Maine 04072 | 282.0875 | |
Longfellow’s Greenhouses* T,S,V,P,F |
lstgermain@longfellowsgreenhouses.com; www.longfellowsgreenhouses.com |
622.59655 | |
Norpine Landscape, Inc T,S |
153 Salem Road, Kingfield, Maine 04947 | norpine@roadrunner.com; www.norpinelandscape.com |
265.2430 |
Pinkham’s Plantation T,S,V,P,F |
pinkhams@roadrunner.com; www.pinkhamsplantation.com |
563.50099 | |
Plainview Farm, Inc *(plant list on Web site) T,S,V,P,F |
529 Mountfort Road, North Yarmouth, Maine 04097 | shpalmer@maine.rr.com; www.plainviewfarm.net> |
829.5004, 800.396.1705 |
Pooh Corner Farm* T,S,P,F |
436 Bog Road, Mason Township, Maine 04217 | poohfarm@megalink.net; www.poohfarm.com |
836.3276 |
Ripley Farm* P |
62 Merrills Mills Road, Dover-Foxcroft, Maine 04426 | ripleyfarm@gmail.com www.ripleyorganicfarm.com |
564.0563 |
Risbara’s Greenhouse, Inc. T,S,V,P,F |
426 Randolph Street, Portland, Maine 041033 | urisbara@maine.rr.com; www.risbarasgreenhouse.com |
797.0066 |
Roaring Brook Nurseries T,S |
639 Gardiner Road, Wales, Maine 04280 | 375.4884 | |
Skillin’s Greenhouses* T,S,V,P,F |
89 Foreside Road, Falmouth, Maine 04105 | skillins@maine.rr.com; www.skillins.com |
800.244.3860 |
Sprague’s Nursery T,S,V,P,F |
1664 Union Street, Bangor, Maine 04401 | info@spraguesnursery.com; www.spraguesnursery.com |
942.1394 |
Surry Gardens* T,S,V,P,F |
PO Box 145, Surry, Maine 04684 | surrygardens@downeast.net; www.surrygardens.com | 667.4493 |
Retail Only | |||
Agricola Farms P |
Rt 17 & Clarry Hill Road, Union, Maine 04862 | veggies4u2@aol.com | |
Alheri Gardens* T,S,V,P |
Gray, Maine [plants sold at Portland Farmers’ Market only] | 657.4358 | |
Allen, Sterling, and Lothrop* T,S,V,P,F |
191 US Route 1, Falmouth, Maine 04105 | lallensterling@maine.rr.com; www.allensterlinglothrop.com |
781.4142 |
Aroostook Milling Company T,S,V,P |
PO Box 129, 5 Hillview Avenue, Houlton, Maine 04730-0129 | amcgrain@mfx.net | 532.6130/7917 |
Beach Lobster and Farm Stand* P |
<35 Saco Avenue, Old Orchard Beach, Maine 04064 | 934.3357 | |
Blackrock Farm T,S,V,P,F |
293 Goose Rocks Road, Kennebunkport, Maine 04046 | info@blackrockfarm.net; www.blackrockfarm.net |
967.5783 |
Blackwell Hill Nursery* T,S,P,F |
265 Blackwell Hill Road, Madison, Maine 04950 | blackwellhillnursery@beeline-online.net | 696.3709 |
Blais Flower Shop and Greenhouse P,F |
539 Webster Street, Lewiston, Maine 04240 | salesblaisflowers@midmaine.com | 783.8566, 1.800.783.8568 |
Boynton’s Greenhouse, Inc* S,V,P,F |
boyntons@beeline-online.net; www.boyntonsgreenhouses.com |
474.28922 | |
Cottage Garden Center T,S,V,P,F |
cottage@tidewater.net | 563.51388 | |
Cranberry Creations* V |
905 Sandy River Road, Mount Vernon, Maine 04352 | wildcran@fairpoint.net; www.cranberrycreations.com |
293.4055 |
Designs Florist and Interiors* P |
2 Mechanic Street, PO Box 207, Bethel, Maine 04217 | designs@megalink.net; www.janetblack.com |
824.0888 |
Down to Earth Gardens T,S,P,F |
1452 New Sweden Road, Woodland, Maine 04736 | 492.4162 | |
Ellis Greenhouse and Nursery* V,P |
PO Box 71, Hudson, Maine 04449 | kellis@ellisnursery.com; www.ellisnursery.com |
327.4674 |
Evermay Nursery* P |
84 Beechwood Avenue, Old Town, Maine 04468 | (e-mail form on Web site); www.evermaynursery.com |
827.0522, 991.4467 |
Farmhouse Greenhouse P |
346 Fort Fairfield Road, Caribou, Maine 04736 | mcnjb@yahoo.com | 227.2754 |
Fernwood Nursery | Montville, Maine | 589.4726 | |
Fieldstone Gardens, Inc* T,S,V,P,F |
55 Quaker Lane, Vassalboro, Maine 04989 | info@fieldstonegardens.com; www.fieldstonegardens.com |
923.3836 |
Flying Llama Farm* T,S,V,P,F |
34 Jeffrey Woods Road, Windham, Maine 04062 | bobfromllamafarm@gmail.com | 892.0293 |
Focal Point Gardens T,S,V,P,F |
1049 Alfred Road, Route 111, Arundel, Maine 04046 | 282.7700 | |
Getchell Nursery* T |
37 Getchell Corner Road, Vassalboro, Maine 04989 | getch@midmaine.com | 872.96133 |
Granite Gardens S,V,P,F |
6 Wallston Road, Tenants Harbor, Maine 04860 | granitegardens@verizon.net | 372.0518 |
Green Art* S,P,F |
30 Route 1 Bypass, Kittery, Maine 03904 | rockcress@greenart.com; www.greenart.com |
439.7700 |
Hedgerow* T,S,V,P,F |
8 Ridge Road, Tenants Harbor, Maine 04860 | www.hedgerowdesign.com | 372.0655 |
The Heirloom Garden of Maine* V,P |
513 North Ridge Road, Montville, Maine 04941 | info@theheirloomgarden.com; www.theheirloomgarden.com |
342.22166 |
Hidden Gardens* S,P,F |
96 Seekins Road, Searsport, Maine 04974 | 548.2864 | |
Hoboken Gardens, Inc T,S,V,P,F |
310 Commercial Street, Rockport, Maine 04856 | askus@hobokengardens.com; www.hobokengardens.com |
236.3023 |
The Little Red Greenhouse* S,P,F |
34 Fellows Farm Road, Fayette, Maine 04349 | jpgreifzu@hotmail.com | 293.3159 |
Mainely Natives* T,S,P,F |
436 South Hiram Road, Hiram, Maine 04041 | mainelynatives@yahoo.com | 625.8303 |
Mainescape Garden Shop T,S,V,P,F |
PO Box 356, 48 South Street, Blue Hill, Maine 04614 | mainescape@mainescape.com; www.mainescape.com> |
374.2833, 800.244.2833 |
Mapes Garden Center* T,S,V,P,F |
97 York Street, Kennebunk, Maine 04043 | mapesgarden@gwi.net | 985.3772 |
Maple Ridge Farm* V,P,F |
1205 Cape Road, Limington, Maine 04049 | gbloomers@fairpoint.net | 637.28300 |
McLaughlin Garden V,P,F |
PO Box 16, 97 Main Street, South Paris, Maine 04281 | mclgardn@megalink.net; www.mclaughlingarden.org |
743.8820 |
Moody’s Nursery and Garden Center* T,S,V,P,F |
82 Ferry Road, Saco, Maine 04072 | moodysnursery@prexar.com; www.moodysnursery.com |
284.72333 |
Mount Blue Agway S,V,P,F |
912 US Route 2, Wilton, Maine 04294 | sales@mtblueagway.com; www.mtblueagway.com |
778.40544 |
Mountain Greenery Greenhouse T,S,V,P |
590 West Bethel Road, Bethel, Maine 042177 | 836.3003 | |
Mountain Greenery T,S,V,P |
3706 Main Street, Rangeley, Maine 04970 | info@mountain-greenery.com; www.mountain-greenery.com |
864.2000 |
Mysty Mountain Farm* T,S,P,F |
388 Upper Street, Turner, Maine 04282 | packrats@megalink.net | 225.3915 |
Naturescape Landscaping T,S,V,P |
256 Oak Hill Road, Norridgewock, Maine 04957 | 634.5267 | |
NewLand Nursery and Landscaping* T,S,V,P,F |
PO Box 1133, 124 Bangor Road, Ellsworth, Maine 04605 | newlandnursery@roadrunner.com; www.newlandnursery.com |
667.7333 |
O’Donal’s Nursery, LLC* T,S,V,P,F |
6 County Road, Gorham, Maine 04038 | onurser1@maine.rr.com; odonalsnurseries.com |
839.4262 |
Paradis Nursery and Garden Center T,S,V |
3675 Middle Road, Sidney, Maine 04330 | paradis@dialmaine.com | 547.4640 |
Pelletier Florist T,S,V |
500 West Main Street, Fort Kent, Maine 04743 | pellflorist@pivot.net; www.pelletierflorist.com |
834.5241 |
The Potting Shed P,F |
401 Main Street, Kingfield, Maine 04947 | 265.4566 | |
Provencher’s Landscape and Nursery, Inc. T,S,V,P,F |
299 River Road, Lewiston, Maine 04240 | rogerpln@adelphia.net | 783.9777 |
Rebel Hill Farm* P |
313 Rebel Hill Road, Clifton, Maine 04428 | 843.6916 | |
Rippling Waters Organic Farm* (plant list on Web site) P |
55 River Road, Steep Falls, Maine 04085 | ripplingwatersfarm@gmail.com; www.ripplingwaters.org |
642.5161 |
Robin’s Flower Pot* T,S,V,P,F |
387 Webster Road, Farmington, Maine 04938 | garden@robinsflowerpot.com; www.robinsflowerpot.com |
778.59377 |
Seashore Gardens* V,P,F |
1748 Route 32, Round Pond, Maine 04564 | fleurdelis@gwi.net | 529.4372 |
Snell Family Farm P |
PO Box 326, 1000 River Road, Bar Mills, Maine 04004 | info@snellfamilyfarm.com; www.snellfarmilyfarm.com |
929.5318; 929.6166 |
D.R. Struck Landscape Nursery T,S,V,P,F |
Route 202, Box 2215, Winthrop, Maine 04364 | drstruck@fairpoint.net | 395.41122 |
Sunnyside Gardens* S,P,F |
500 North Parish Road, Turner, Maine 04282 | sunnyside@megalink.net; www.sunnysidegardens.com |
225.3998 |
Through the Garden Gate V,P |
438 Exeter Road, Corinna, Maine 04928 | caddy@gwi.net | 341.0191 |
Union Agway* S,V,P |
2179 Heald Highway, Union, Maine 04862 | uagway@tidewater.net; www.unionagway.com |
785.4385 |
Unity College: McKay Farm and Research Station T, S, V, P, F |
54 Greenhouse Lane, Thorndike, Maine 04986 | cbond@unity.edu; https://mckay.unity.edu |
509.7180 |
Wild Iris Herb Farm* P,F |
Route 91, Kingsbury Lane, York, Maine 03909 | lucy@wildirisherbfarm.com; wildirisherbfarm.info |
363.4153 |
Windswept Gardens, LLC T,S,V,P,F |
1709 Broadway, Bangor, Maine 04401 | bob@windsweptgardens.com; www.windsweptgardens.com |
941.9898 |
*plant list/catalog is available
Information in this publication is provided purely for educational purposes. No responsibility is assumed for any problems associated with the use of products or services mentioned. No endorsement of products or companies is intended, nor is criticism of unnamed products or companies implied.
© 2002, 2008, 2016, 2018
Call 800.287.0274 (in Maine), or 207.581.3188, for information on publications and program offerings from University of Maine Cooperative Extension, or visit extension.umaine.edu.
The University of Maine is an EEO/AA employer, and does not discriminate on the grounds of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, transgender status, gender expression, national origin, citizenship status, age, disability, genetic information or veteran’s status in employment, education, and all other programs and activities. The following person has been designated to handle inquiries regarding non-discrimination policies: Sarah E. Harebo, Director of Equal Opportunity, 101 North Stevens Hall, University of Maine, Orono, ME 04469-5754, 207.581.1226, TTY 711 (Maine Relay System).