Ethically propagated native plants of the Pacific Northwest & Columbia River Gorge
Nursery News & Events
Plant sales, educational events, volunteer opportunities and more.....
We will feature select news & events related to native plants, native pollinators, conservation, and restoration on a seasonal basis here, so keep checking in or follow us on Facebook to stay updated.
Featured news & events:
The nursery is closed for the summer months, which gives you time to prepare for the fall planting season!
Fall is not only the best time to plant native plants, it is also when we have the most plant stock available. Every year, in late summer and fall, we bring new plants from our propagation grounds down to the container nursery and make them available to the public. We will reopen (by appointment) in mid-September and look forward to seeing you then!
Visit our plant list for current availability.
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Call or email us with inquiries, to purchase gift certificates, or place an order.
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503.449.3694
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The Pacific Northwest Native Plant Primer
Our book, The Pacific Northwest Native Plant Primer: 225 Plants for an Earth-Friendly Garden, with publisher Timber Press was released in the spring of 2023! This is a great resource for regional gardeners, particularly in Oregon and Washington. It contains useful information for both beginning and seasoned native plant lovers and covers more than 225 species as we make suggestions of alternate species for different habitats and ecoregions in many of the plant profiles.
Available wherever books are sold. We also have copies for sale in the nursery, so make an appointment to visit us and go home with a book and some plants recommended for you by the authors!
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See what people are saying about our book and read reviews here
Seattle Times article "5 books for gardeners that paint an optimistic reading list for winter"
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We have been nominated for Best of the Gorge!
​​Voting opens on Weds, July 15th and runs through Weds, July 29th, 2026.
You can place one vote a day!
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Help us win by voting daily. Look for our name, Humble Roots Farm & Nursery, LLC, in the "Garden Store/Nursery and Landscaper" category on the Best of the Gorge website:
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Fine Gardening Magazine, Summer 2026 issue
Look for the short feature on golden currant we contributed to Fine Gardening's summer issue.
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iNaturalist Meet Your Identifier Series-Drew Merritt
Read about Drew and his work to help identify the native plants of the PNW on iNaturalist in this Flora of Oregon post by Lecia Schalle...
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https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/168279/journal/117546
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ECOP's website offers great resources on oaks!
If you love Oregon white oaks, you will LOVE this website! If you don't know much about oaks, this website will help you learn more! And if you own property with oaks and oak habitat, you will find valuable information on how to manage oak habitat in ways that benefit you and the incredible amount of biodiversity that depend on oak trees!
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We applaud ECOP for the work they do and for creating a fabulous website and powerful tool for oak conservation. We work with them on many projects and helped to review some of the information and brochures you can find on this website. You can even find a few pictures on the website of Drew working and teaching in the oaks!
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East Cascades Oak Partnership​
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Love the wildflowers of the Gorge?
​Here are a few tips to help keep the fields of flowers blooming for generations to come...
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*Brush weed seeds from footwear and furry friends before hitting the trail.
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*Stay on the trail and please don't pick native wildflowers!
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*Social media can have a big impact on sensitive places, please post thoughtfully. Don't post locations of rare plants.
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"The Beauty in Biodiversity: Conservation and Cultivation of Native Plants in the Columbia River Gorge"
In November 2024 we shared stories and insights from over twenty years of working with native plants in the Columbia River Gorge during a zoom presentation hosted by the Native Plant Society of Oregon-Portland Chapter. Encouraging gardeners to plant native plants to support biodiversity, creating pollinator corridors, saving rare plants, and partnering with land trusts on many restoration projects are just a few of the things we spoke about.
View this presentation on the Native Plant Society of Oregon-Portland Chapter's YouTube channel:
Humble Roots on Cultivating Place
Jennifer Jewell interviewed us for her podcast, Cultivating Place. Listen to this episode of the program (which aired November 2nd, 2023) wherever you get your podcasts...and keep listening! This is a great show with deep insights for plant lovers, gardeners, and anyone who appreciates the greenery of the world.
Link to the program: Growing Home: Humble Roots on Cultivating Place
Mt. Adams Institute's Sense of Place Lecture - Mountaintop to Backyard: The Beauty of the Gorge's Native Plants
Columbia Center for the Arts, Hood River
Follow this link to see our talk in December of 2023 about the native plants of the Columbia River Gorge and the true beauty of gardening with them:
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Native Seeds: Supplying Restoration video series.
Created by the International Network for Seed-Based Restoration (INSR) and Hidden Films with support from a number of organizations and agencies, this is a beautifully made video series exploring the need for native seed in restoration and the native seed supply chain in the western United States.
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Watch the full length documentary or individual episodes:
Utilize and support OregonFlora!
OregonFlora is a vital resource for anyone interested in Oregon's native flora. Their website provides important information about native plants and valuable tools for gardening with native plants. In addition, they are producing a three volume comprehensive, illustrated guide to the flora of the state.
This important organization relies on community donations and is in need of donations to continue its work.
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Donate and tour the website at: oregonflora.org
Order Vol 1 and 2 of the Flora of Oregon or purchase the Oregon Wildflowers app here: oregonflora.org/pages/store.php
Create nesting habitat for bees and beneficial insects.
When doing any cleanup in the garden, keep in mind that many of our native bees (which also happen to be solitary and stingless) spend the winter underground, in cavities in trees, or the pithy stems of plants. There are many ways to promote, protect, and provide for these vital insect allies, including specific ways of pruning and maintaining your landscape. The Xerces Society provides some great information and online publications on how to truly maintain a year-round pollinator-friendly garden.
Learn more about providing nesting resources for pollinators here:
xerces.org/pollinator-conservation/nesting-resources
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Find recordings of classes and webinars on the Xerces Society YouTube channel.
Book features Sheila Ford Richmond's home and neighborhood gardens in Hood River
Under Western Skies is a beautifully photographed and written book by Caitlin Atkinson and Jennifer Jewell that showcases innovative gardens in the American West where nature is the inspiration. It features the hard work of Sheila Ford Richmond and our very own An"Drew".
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Learn more with others...
Learn more about our amazing regional flora through hikes, lectures, and volunteer opportunities with your local native plant society.
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Washington Native Plant Society: wnps.org
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Native Plant Society of Oregon: npsoregon.org
Columbia Insight
Independent environmental news for communities throughout the Columbia River Basin.
Current news and podcasts on a range of topics related to life in the Columbia River Basin. Read & listen up!
Check back seasonally for updates. We will also post updates & links to these events and more on our Facebook page.
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