MISSOULA — With the gardening season around the corner, a new plant nursery in the Rattlesnake is hoping Missoulians rely on native plants for their landscaping.
Montana Plants opened to the public for the first time on April 6 as part of a local push to plant native plants in gardens and yards.
The space at 1300 Murray Street has historically been a nursery for native plants, but until this year, it was exclusively for Watershed Consulting — a regional restorations company.
Watershed Consulting was involved in tree clearing, rechanneling rivers and planting native plants. Andy Martinez worked with the company for 10 years before the owner retired, handing the plant nursery over to Martinez.
Without Watershed Consulting, Martinez was able to open the nursery up to the public, selling native plants to landscapers, residents and property owners.
“Basically we're just trying to keep the native plant nursery going now that they're we're not using them for ourselves,” Martinez says.
Using native plants can make gardening easier since the plants are accustomed to growing in the local climate. There are many native plants that are considered “water-wise” because they require fewer resources to stay alive.
More than their hardiness, native plants play a critical role in maintaining biodiversity and a healthy ecosystem.
Missoula County Department of Ecology and Extension specializes in native plant education and provides several programs to encourage native plant gardening.
“Cities and towns are like a missed conservation opportunity,” Missoula County Department of Ecology and Extension habitat coordinator Marirose Kuhlman says. “They can really harbor a lot of biodiversity, but native plants are key to that because we lose a lot of our nucleus to development and the birds rely on native plants to provide insect resources.”
According to Kuhlman, over 90% of insects are food resources rather than pests, but their populations are decreasing rapidly. With fewer insects, the already declining bird population will decrease even further.
A yard does not need a lot of space to make a lot of impact on the Missoula County environment. Even one or two native plants or pollinators can make a difference.
“A lot of people think that conservation happens out there, you know, like in the forest and grassland, but it actually can happen right in your own yard and planting native plants is the best way to do that,” Kuhlman says. "Every little bit you do is helpful and if planting a few native plants is a good place for you to start, then you should do it.”
Missoula County Department of Ecology and Extension has a flowering lawn program, which gives participants a seed mix of low-growing flowering plants. This offers a better alternative than a typical grass lawn since it grows native pollinator plants.
“A typical lawn is like an ecological wasteland,” Kuhlman says.
The department also offers opportunities for education, including pollinator resource summits. They helped make Missoula County a Bee City USA, which sets the mission to increase pollinator habitat and reduce pesticide use.
A 2.5-acre exhibit of native and pollinator plants — The Rocky Mountain Gardens — will open this fall. The garden will include 20 different plant sections, including a forest garden, a native prairie area and a pollinator garden, giving visitors hands-on education on native plants
“It's a great opportunity to not only have a hands-on experience with growing plants in a landscaping situation, but also being able to see a plant, see a name associated with the plant and just get more familiar with native plants and how to identify them,” Rocky Mountain Garden coordinator Molly Anton says.
While the full garden won’t open until the fall, volunteer events and a soft opening will happen this summer.
Another benefit of buying native plants is the ability to support local businesses. Other Missoula County nurseries with native plant options include Marchie’s Nursery, Caras Nursery and Landscape and Pipilo Native Plants.
Available plants at Montana Plants can be found on their website. Martinez says to call or text his cell to inquire about buying plants. The nursery is open on Saturdays.
Additionally, the Montana Conservation Seedling Nursery offered by the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation provides a different kind of nursery product for people planting in bulk.
