Where to buy Utah native plants
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Erin's SLC garden in June, with Mexican Hat, yucca, butterflyweed and more. Photo: Erin Alberty/Axios
It's time for Utah's spring plant sales, with some of the best chances to bring flora that's native to the state into your backyard.
Why it matters: Native plants provide habitat for birds and bugs and generally require less water than traditional landscapes — but they're in critically low supply throughout the mountain west.
The big picture: Demand for native plants has soared as western states make re-landscaping a central water conservation policy, but sellers struggle to keep them in stock.
- Desert plants are hard to produce in commercial nurseries, which are typically set up for traditional garden plants with different water schedules and soil conditions.
- They also tend to root deeply, which is why they're drought-tolerant — but also slow to grow. Trees and shrubs may require years of care before they're big enough to sell.
The bottom line: Between lag times in growth and an unpredictable supply chain, high demand doesn't guarantee business success.
- In the 15 years or so that I've been gardening with native plants, I've seen many of Utah's go-to nurseries leave the industry.
Yes, but: Others have germinated in fallow ground. Here are some good sources specializing in native plants:
Cache Valley Native Plants is a major grower — and they're hauling the goods to South Salt Lake for a one-day sale Saturday.
Red Butte Gardens hosts plant sales in the spring and fall, with the next one open to the public on May 9.
- Native plants sell so fast that I pay for a garden membership just to get into the members-only sale the day before.
Wasatch Community Gardens: The spring plant sale May 9 includes native grasses and flowers for landscaping.
Native Utah Plants in Provo is worth the drive, with a detailed online inventory full of hard-to-find treasures.
Beehive Nursery and Gardens in Kamas is a growing business, with thousands of hardy starts grown from seed.
High Country Gardens is based in Clinton and only takes online orders for its selection of thousands of specimens.
Many other local nurseries sell quite a few native plants alongside other ornamentals. Check out:
- Progressive Plants
- Growing Empire — yes, it's open, despite its subdued online presence
- Cactus & Tropicals
- Glover Nursery
- Twin Pines Nursery
- Millcreek Gardens