About Our Plant Stock
What are Native Plants?
Native plants in our region are plants that have been here prior to European settlement. Many of these, particularly those associated with Garry Oak Ecosystems, thrived under management by Indigenous people in the Victoria area for thousands of years. Native plants are an integral part of a healthy natural and cultural environment.
The image above features the gorgeous Red Columbine and Hedge Nettle, two native species that thrive in part shade conditions.
Native to where?
Our plants are truly local and native to the Victoria area. Our definition of native includes plants from a defined area that naturally occur in our area. You may not see commonly sought-after plants like vine maple, redwood sorrel, Jacob’s ladder, and high bush cranberry at our nursery because they do not occur naturally in our range.
Satinflower Nurseries celebrates the unique and distinctive flora of our area. Using local native plants is beneficial to wildlife and, in some cases, leads to less frustration in the garden. Planting local native plants conserves biodiversity by retaining local genetics and the natural composition of plant communities.
Figure 1: The red in the map shows the scope and range of species we sell that are native to Southern Vancouver Island.
Why do we grow our own plants?
We only sell plants that have been propagated at our nursery and never sell plants that have been removed from the wild. Over time, we have ethically collected seed from within our specific region and created plant populations at our nursery. We harvest from these nursery-grown populations for our seed sales and propagation for potted material.
To promote genetic diversity, we grow our potted plants primarily from seed. Growing from seed ensures that we conserve as much genetic diversity as possible because we aren't cloning species, but it also means that re-building stock can take time. We always appreciate your patience and understanding!
Our team carefully tends the field-grown plants throughout the year and harvests seeds in the spring and summer. Patches of wildflowers found at the nursery are stunning and attract wildlife like bees and butterflies. Please check our 'news' to see when we do our spring bed tour in Cobble Hill.
Under special circumstances, we purchase stock from other growers for resale. For example, in 2018 we were fortunate to secure stock from a local grower who was ending their business. At that time, we purchased Western Trillium and White Fawn-Lily that originated from seed in the Victoria area. In 2020 we will be purchasing Red-flowering Currant and Sword Fern for your convenience from our friends at NAT’s Nursery Ltd in Langley, as we’ve struggled to keep these plants in stock with such a demand from you!
How do we grow our stock?
Each plant is grown from seed or cuttings from our field-grown stock at the nursery (not wild collected). This parent stock has been grown from ethical wild seed sources in the Victoria area. We are always adding new material in order to maintain genetic diversity and species diversity. None of the species are grown with the use of herbicides, pesticides (including neonicotinoids), or chemical fertilizers.
Field grown plants are carefully tended throughout the year and seeds are harvested through the spring and summer. Patches of wildflowers are not only stunning, but also attract pollinators and other wildlife. Not to mention, they require no watering! Visit us through the spring and summer to learn more about our growing and get a chance to see these beautiful displays!
The website shows potted plants and seeds we currently provide. We update our list regularly, so please check back to see what is in stock, and what new species have been added to our nursery. Species that are sold out in fall come available again through spring and summer. We grow our plants, often from seed, and appreciate your patience!