This resource was developed for and by the Permaculture Learning Guild. Have a change to make? E-mail matt@goldeneggpermaculture.com.

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Local Piedmont Nurseries

A lot of the rare and beloved plants that show up in Permaculture books can be hard to find locally. I’m sure this will change over time. In the meantime, here are some local nurseries we appreciate. It may be necessary to go online to find a lot of the plants featured in forest garden books.

Mellow Marsh Farm in Siler City, NC – They focus exclusively on natives and they primarily work with wholesale clients, but the minimum order isn’t bad. They’re not a nursery you go to and browse but one you place an order with online and pick up. I love them for permaculture restoration and wetland plants. They’ve got tremendous expertise (especially on Piedmont wetland habitats).

Local-ish Nurseries

Feralwood Nursery in Cleveland County, NC. Feralwood will be my go-to nursery for many seasons to come! One could start an amazing food forest on a budget with their selections. I loved working with them.

Not too far, in VA:

Edible Landscaping in Afton, VA. They do not usually have bareroot but have a great selection of harder-to-find trees and shrubs. They’re up in the mountains and worth a visit. The support they offer by phone for taking care of your plants is worth a lot by itself. Things go out of stock a lot so give them a call to find out what they’ve got.

Online Permaculture Nurseries and Plant Sources

The best online resource I’ve found so far for permaculture plants is a list maintained by Edible Acres of Trumansburg, NY.

First, I’d recommend checking out Edible Acres’s own permaculture plant nursery here. Edible Acres includes bare roots of favorite permaculture plants which is one of the most resilient and affordable ways to grow out perennial planting systems.

Then, check out Edible Acres’s amazing list of permaculture nurseries. It’s a treasure.

If none of those work, try Etsy. Really. I have found very interesting plants and seeds there!