Restoration Plant Nursery
Chesapeake Conservation Nurseries produces high quality diverse native trees, shrubs, grasses, and perennials for Chesapeake Bay restoration and reforestation projects. This plant material is available to community groups and environmental organizations for restoration projects, and to the public throughout the year during our plant sales at several festivals and events in the area. Please check the NEWS section of this website for event information.
See a current list of our plant material and pricing (excel).
For detailed information on our native plants, click the highlighted plant names below.
Grasses:
Perennials:
If you are a restoration organization or community group, please call for additional pricing structures to maximize your available funding. Also, current plant material available is not an exhaustive list. We are able to obtain many varieties of native trees, shrubs, and grasses throughout the season to accomodate your native plant restoration projects.
Chesapeake Conservation Nurseries recommends the following species for use in restoration projects or residential landscaping. The list is organized by the role each plant plays in a typical Chesapeake Bay area native forest. Taller trees make up the tree canopy, and smaller trees and shrubs make up the understory (plants beneath the canopy). This is not a complete list of native species. It is an abbreviated list of proven successful restoration plants that provide high wildlife value.
Native Tree and Shrub Species List
These native tree species are tolerant of moist and varied soils:
Small to medium trees (Understory)
These shrubs are tolerant of diverse soil types and moisture, while providing high value to wildlife:
Shrubs (Understory)
- Wax Myrtle (Myrica cerifera)
- Rosebay rhododendron (Rhododendron maximum)
- Maple-leaved arrowood (Viburnum acerifolium)
- Summersweet (Clethra alnifolia)
- High-tide bush, Sea myrtle (Baccharis halimifolia)
- Winterberry, Black alder (Ilex verticillata)
- Spicebush (Lindera benzoin)
- Buttonbush (Cephalantus occidentalis)
- Red Chokeberry (Aronia arbutifolia)
- Sweetbay Magnolia (Magnolia virginiana)
Tall trees (Canopy)
Important note:
Because our location is an in-kind lease on a private residential farm, our nursery is not open to the public or set up for retail sales at this time. To purchase native trees and shrubs, please attend the events listed in the “News” section of this website. If you are unable to attend these events, land owner sales and restoration organization sales are available by appointment. Please call 410-908-0807 to schedule a visit or site consultation.
Thank you!
Environmental Education Program
In addition to the plant nursery, Chesapeake Conservation Nurseries is developing an Environmental Education program focusing on the importance of ecological restoration, conservation, and environmentally sound energy and land use practices. The Environmental Education committee of our Board of Directors is currently developing two programs. One program will be developed to integrate into the existing middle school science and social science curricula of Chesapeake Bay watershed schools.
The other program will be directed to adults to encourage best practices in landscaping, energy use, land use, and environmentally conscious lifestyle choices. Please check back regularly for more information as these programs continue to develop.
