Learn how to propagate native plants using organic earth-based techniques at Helia Native Nursery on Saturday, May 26 from 10:30 – noon. Helia Native Nursery is situated on Sky Meadow Farm, a beautiful 109-acre farm in Alford, Massachusetts. They are a small nursery in Berkshire County that specializes in growing native perennials, as well as trees and shrubs.
Their mission is to preserve native genotypes through seed banking on the farm and propagating them in our plant nursery. Their plants are available for the landscaping community, homeowners, and nature enthusiasts. Many of the species propagated are not available in the standard nursery industry.
Their land stewardship on the farm focuses on restoring wildflower meadows for pollinators, woodlands and fens for rare fauna. They have a long term forestry plan written with help from Massachusetts Woodland Institute and Peter Tucker to remove invasive shrubs to create song bird habitat. Removing the invasive species will benefit the wildlife on the farm as well as reduce the number of ticks in the community at large. A high volume of native plant diversity will create optimal habitat for birds, butterflies, pollinators, amphibians, and dragonflies and boost the resilience of this ecosystem.
Their techniques of propagation are strictly organic and earth-based. They use the highest quality organic potting material and inoculate the potting soil with compost, topsoil from the farm, and mulch to create a diverse soil food web. These practices allow for healthier, less disease-prone plants. If pest or disease control is required, they only use organic methods.
To achieve greener nursery practices they only use a passive solar greenhouse, and reuse all pots. They are conscious about daily water use and have a strict non-chemical approach to plant propagation and pot maintenance. All of these efforts lower their ecological footprint.
The workshop costs $20 per person and includes an eco-tour of Sky Meadow Farm. If you are interested in attending email helianativenursery@gmail.com.
