Native Plant Nursery

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Native plants in New Jersey are deeply imperiled. Roughly 40% of New Jersey’s indigenous flora is listed as rare, threatened or endangered. Four primary factors are causing the collapse in plant diversity and abundance: development; habitat destruction; the deer overpopulation crisis; and exotic invasive plants.

The Nursery aims to re-establish indigenous plants in their native habitats, by supplying a diverse array of plants to those engaged in stewardship of New Jersey’s remaining wild places. Moreover, the Nursery recognizes that the human landscape needs to function in harmony with the natural landscape. Providing residents of Central New Jersey with locally native plants is central to our mission. At present, ornamental plantings in residential areas not only deprive wildlife of traditional food sources, they supply much of the exotic plant material that continually invades natural areas.

D&R Greenway Native Plant Nursery is dedicated to restoring a rich diversity of native flora to the local landscape. It will supply local genotypes of indigenous plants to D&R Greenway and other conservation groups for ecological restoration, and to the general public, so that the residential landscape might be re-knit with the natural landscape.

The fundamental goals of the Nursery are: 1) To provide a crucial tool for D&R Greenway’s stewardship staff for ecological restoration work; 2) To provide the general public with a source of native plants with clear and local provenance; 3) To educate the general public about the ecological benefits of native plants; and 4) To provide a nexus for involving the local community in the restoration of its surrounding environment.

D&R Greenway Land Trust is seeking $20,000 for this project.