Wetland plants, garden plants and a whole lot of expertise.
In Maryland green circles, "Environmental Concern" is a name that has been familiar for years. I think of it as the prototype for many of the non-profit nurseries that have followed - nurseries selling plants with much larger missions!
Back in 1972, Environmental Concern, started the movement we now know as shoreline restoration - removing hard edges and replacing them with far more habitat and wildlife friendly planted edges. Over the years, the methodology has been tested, refined and tested and refined again, to the benefit of over 50 miles of shoreline. More importantly, Environmental Concern is dedicated to sharing their expertise and training others. Their impact is far and very wide.
These folks know their plants after all that work and research. That's where gardeners come in! Specializing in native wetland plants, Gene, Suzanne and team also grow native plants endemic to the Eastern Shore for our gardens. Their plant information page has loads of info on the water and shore loving plants and is a treasure trove for those living along estuarine shorelines or on the Eastern Shore.
I visited last August for one of the in-person plant sales and the sea of plants in production was stunning. In the midst of a move from St. Michaels to a larger property (read more plants!), the best way to buy plants is to check the native plant availability page and e-mail or call with your order. You will find some very hard to find plants here!
As for a favorite garden plant, co-founder Suzanne was reluctant to share hers because she wants the focus to be on the phenomenal Environmental Concern team. She finally gave it up though - Monarch's Delight, aka butterfly weed (Asclepias tuberosa), mentioning the critical need to plant thousands more in gardens across the Delmarva Peninsula to support the monarch butterfly migration. This host plant for monarchs grows in full sun in medium to dry conditions once established. It can take a few years to get firmly established too.
I feel like all of our native plant nurseries have missions far greater than profit. Environmental Concern has decades in on that, to our enormous benefit!
Happy Gardening.
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