Van Berkum Nursery Tour

Van Berkum Nursery:

Our innovative and eco-conscious staff has been working hard to develop new growing methods that increase availability while not compromising the plant’s root quality or stressing our nursery’s ecological footprint. While we love ornamental perennials and continue to grow them responsibly, we recognize that now more than ever is the right time to increase our Local Ecotype line-up. Grown here at the nursery from seed collected around New England, where genetic diversity and adaptability potential are preserved, we are grateful to get these critical plants onto the market. We have been busy collecting seed these last few years, and we are lucky to have a network of partnerships that contribute to our Local Ecotype seed portfolio.

We strongly believe in the importance of native plants and their vital ecological role in our landscapes and are of the opinion that stewardship and gardening are not mutually exclusive. We are still gardeners who appreciate the color and textures that the perennial palette brings to the garden and enjoy offering our customers a choice of well-grown options to augment the landscape as we all strive to incorporate more natives.

What will we talk about on the tour?

• Overview of Van Berkum’s plant palette
• Gain understanding of timelines to market for various plant types
• Develop our visual understanding of spec + actual plant sizes

What should you bring?

• Good shoes, water bottle, sun protection
• Questions about groundcover
• Tools for documenting what you learn in the field

Want to offer a ride from Boston, Portland, Portsmouth, or elsewhere to others?

Rideshare signup here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1wYj48zwQK_d2zpsvWFaj38XPF30R74jA55LbLrkcW3g/edit?usp=sharing