Sizes, pricing and ordering

Ordering

We’re currently pickup only at the nursery in Riverwest. During checkout, you’ll schedule a pickup date and time. Once your order has been set out, you’ll receive an email with your locker number and code for pickup on our front porch. If you need assistance accessing your locker or loading plants into your vehicle, please contact us ahead of time so we can make sure someone is available to help.

Please note that this is a private residence rather than a traditional storefront or staffed retail location. If you have any questions before pickup, please email us at prettywildnursery@gmail.com or message us on social media rather than knocking or stopping by unannounced.

The garden is not open for public entry, but you’re always welcome to admire the plantings from the sidewalk during pickup for as long as you'd like, and be sure to checkout the ~1000 square foot prairie in the median! We’ve had quite a bit of interest in the gardens, so we may host occasional tours in the future.

Plant sizes shown using Hoary Vervain (Verbena stricta). Actual plant size varies by species and time of year.

Sizes and pricing

Native plants grow at incredibly different rates and definitely much, much slower than the annual vegetable plants you may be more familiar with growing. Some plants, like our pasque flowers out in the nursery beds right now, are barely bigger than a quarter at the beginning of their second year. As a protection method, some seeds have to stay moist for multiple years to germinate (especially common amongst shade loving/forest plants) and all the while we’re monitoring, weeding and watering them. Others, like new england asters and some goldenrod species, grow fast and often flower profusely in their first season. Because of this huge range, our plants are priced according to how long we’ve cared for them, not on what size container they’re in like a lot of nurseries. In general, by the time our smaller plug pots are listed for sale, we’ve been looking after them daily for at least 6 months, everything in the quart pots are at least a year old and gallons at least 2 years old but sometimes, as is the case with most spring ephemerals, a plant in a quart pot will be 3+ years old. So everything is priced accordingly, which is why you may see some species in a gallon for $20 and others for $30.

*We label our pots as “Gallon” or “Quart” sizes for ease of reference, but actual volume may vary slightly. This is standard practice in the nursery industry due to pot shapes and manufacturing differences. Our "plug" is a standard 2.5 inch pot.

 

Sustainability & plant appearance

We re-use plant pots whenever possible to reduce waste, so your pot may not look brand new but is still fully functional. Keeping usable pots in circulation helps divert plastic from landfills and lowers the environmental footprint of our nursery.

Because our plants are grown as part of a living ecosystem, mature plants may occasionally have chewed leaves, small holes or or dried stems from previous seasons’ growth. Many native bees nest inside hollow or pithy second-year stems overwinter, so we often leave them intact rather than cutting everything back for cosmetic purposes. Native flora evolved alongside regional insects, and these interactions are part of a healthy ecosystem. Rather than signs of a plant in distress, bug bites are evidence that these plants are supporting birds, pollinators, and other local wildlife.

We frequently post photos of our plugs and pot sizes on Instagram (follow @prettywildnursery) if you'd like a better sense of sizing before ordering. Feel free to message us anytime with questions!