by Kristi Hobson Edmonston ·
Friday, May 29, 2026
The sixth year of Growing Wild Massachusetts kicked off Friday, May 29, with 21 nurseries providing native plant kits, free of charge, to encourage people to begin, or expand, their native plant gardens. Each native plant kit contains two 1-gallon native perennial plants; native seed packets; educational resources on pollinator-friendly gardening; and a Growing Wild Massachusetts sticker.
This initiative began in 2021. According to the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) website, the Growing Wild movement focuses on creating “thriving native plant habitats that provide resources like food and shelter for native pollinators, birds, and wildlife throughout Massachusetts.”
Brian McClain, a member of the Harvard Land Stewardship Subcommittee, became interested in native plants about six years ago. He currently oversees two pollinator gardens located on the Powell-Reed-Abbot conservation land off East Bare Hill Road, along with several other projects.
When asked what he’d like people to know regarding the importance of native plants, McClain said: “First, I’d ask them if they like birds. And if they like birds, I want them to know [that] when we plant non-native plants around our houses, we’re actually creating a food desert.” He explained that many bird species depend on thousands of caterpillars to feed their young. And native plants serve as hosts for many insects, he said, including the caterpillars of butterflies and moths. According to the National Wildlife Federation, these plants act as the “foundation for the entire food web.”
Native plants also support Massachusetts’ pollinators, including 400 species of native bees, 3,000 species of moths, and 120 species of butterflies, as well as hoverflies, beetles, and hummingbirds. Unfortunately, the populations of bees, butterflies, bats, and other pollinators are in “drastic decline” according to Mass Audubon, the Massachusetts Nursery and Landscape Association, and others. To reap the benefits of adding native plants to a garden, McClain said, people should strive for “at least 70% native plants for the best positive impact on wildlife.”
The Growing Wild starter kits are free of charge and available while supplies last. Participating nurseries, located in Worcester and Middlesex counties, are:
- Mahoney’s Garden Center, Winchester and Chelmsford
- Weston Nurseries, Chelmsford and Hopkinton
- Bemis Farms Nursery, Spencer
- Bigelow Nurseries, Northborough
- Brook Bound Nursery, Westminster
- Busy Bee Nursery, Jefferson
- Gulbankian Farm, Southborough
- Lakeview Nurseries, Lunenburg
- Perreault Nurseries, North Grafton
The starter kits are also available at several DCR sites at events scheduled during June, including a Growing Wild event at the Blackstone River Greenway (Worcester Visitor Center) on Sunday, June 14, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. The schedule of DCR Growing Wild events can be found at https://mnla.com/pollinator/growingwild/#get-started; scroll down and click on the button labeled “DCR Events” for details.
Can’t make any of the above options? Grow Native Massachusetts is hosting its annual native plant sale on Friday, May 29, and Saturday, May 30, in Lexington. Sign-ups are required in advance. At the time of this writing, there was limited availability for Saturday afternoon. More information can be found at https://grownativemass.org/Our-Programs/Native-Plant-Sale.
Editor’s note: This is Part 1 of a two-part piece on native plants. Next week, we’ll talk with Harvard residents who use native plants in their gardens.