The mission of the nursery is to produce high quality bareroot and container-grown seedlings from local seed stock for restoration and buffer plantings in the Champlain Valley. The nursery started in 2002 as a partnership between the Poultney Mettowee Conservation District and The Nature Conservancy’s Southern Lake Champlain Valley Program.
In 2011, the nursery partnership expanded when Green Mountain College joined us and the nursery moved from its previous location in NY to the GMC campus. During our time at the college the Nursery was able to provide enriched programming including education and outreach, workshops, internships, and research opportunities.
With the closing of the Green Mountain College Campus spring of 2019 the nursery was left without a home. The District decided to relocate the Nursery within Poultney in order to stay connected to the surrounding community and continue to serve as an educational resource. Working with the Village of Poultney, the Nursery has moved to its current location on York Street. This new partnership with the village provides exciting opportunities that we hope will strengthen the Nursery and PMNRCD’s capacity to provide educational and hands-on learning opportunities to local residents.
The main goal of the nursery will continue to be the propagation of native seeds for plantings. The plantings serve many goals including, stabilizing stream banks (reducing erosion), restoring native plant communities (clayplain and floodplain forests), re-establishing connectivity of habitat along riparian corridors, improving water quality, and preventing the spread of non-native plant material in the landscape.
The nursery receives a great amount of help from volunteers and interns in accomplishing seed collection, propagation and growing operations. Many opportunities exist for individuals and groups interested in learning about native plant production and lending a hand.
The long-term financial goal of the nursery is to become self-sustaining through the sale of seedlings. Seedlings are being sold to individuals and groups engaged in conservation and restoration plantings in the Champlain Valley such as regional watershed and county conservation districts, private conservation organizations, and farmers and private landowners enrolled in government cost-share conservation programs.
Learn more about the native species we often carry at the Nursery ⇒ CVNPRN Native Plant List
Find us at 685 York Street, Poultney, VT 05764
Take a tour of our soon to be installed educational gardens!
Ordering
The Nursery offers a variety of native plants as potted and/or bareroot stock. Potted stock is available throughout the growing season while bareroot stock is for spring sale only. There are many benefits to using locally-grown, native plants in your landscaping – they are more likely to thrive in our regional climate and they provide critical resources for our wildlife. Consider these plants for backyard birds and pollinators, stabilizing stream banks, or for use in rain gardens.
Please contact us to see an availability and price list or to make an appointment to visit the Nursery:
Hilary Solomon, District Manager, hilary@pmnrcd.org
Sadie Brown, Nursery Manager, sadie@pmnrcd.org
CVNPRN supports our project partners by offering a discount on large orders. When ordering potted plant stock, customers receive 10% off orders of 20 stems or more and 20% off orders of 30 stems or more.
While we encourage pick-up at the nursery we can deliver your order as needed. The delivery fee is dependant on distance traveled and is as follows:
0-25mi $50
26-50mi $100
51-100mi $175
Spring District Plant Sale
2023 NOW OPEN
Each year PMNRCD holds a plant sale traditionally offering a combination of native trees, shrubs, and perennials, as well as fruit trees and berry bushes. The sale offers plants that are not usually available at the nursery in addition to CVNPRN grown stock. All funds generated by this sale are used to support District and Nursery educational and technical programming.
This year we are offering a variety of native trees and shrubs for landscaping, naturalizing and foraging (incl. balsam fir, sugar maple, serviceberry, elderberry, and winterberry) as well as a variety of berries(blueberry, raspberry, and strawberry) and fruit trees (apple, peach, pear, and cherry). There are many benefits to using locally grown, native plants in your landscape. Native plants are more likely to thrive in our regional climate and they provide critical resources for wildlife. Consider these plants for backyard birds and pollinators, stabilizing stream banks and shorelines, or for use in rain gardens.
If ordering after March 24th please inquire about availability before sending payment and mailing an order. Orders will be taken until April 14th. Pick up is Saturday, May 6th at the Champlain Valley Native Plant Restoration Nursery from 9 to noon.
_PMNRCD 2023 Plant Sale Catalog V14
PMNRCD 2023 Plant Sale ORDER FORM V18
Volunteer Seed Collection
The Champlain Valley Native Plant Restoration Nursery (CVNPRN) is expanding our volunteer seed collection efforts for nursery stock and other South Lake Champlain Basin projects. We have been busy creating a map to assist in these efforts and are excited to share this working document with you!
https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=1ZFyJqfLlmk6cGHAANTUm0AzgKhZjw4Y&usp=sharing
CVNPRN envisions an informed community, committed to protecting and promoting a resilient and ecologically functional native-plant-based landscape.
Supporting Documents
Link to PDF on how to use the different map layers Seed Collection Map Layer Description
Link to PDF on descriptions of the Natural Communities found within the map Natural Community Description
Link to PDF on general collection protocols for CVNPRN Seed Collection
SPOTLIGHT – Nursery News and Events
District Plant Sale Fundraiser
We are already thinking about next spring? Check out our sale and event information.
Watch for information on upcoming spring volunteer days and nursery events!
Interested in purchasing plants or learning more about us? Contact Sadie at sadie@pmnrcd.org
Fall-Winter Intern 
Sam Maxfield- I’m from West Springfield, MA. I’m a senior at Castleton University currently completing a Bachelor’s degree in Wildlife and Forest Conservation. I chose the Poultney Mettowee Natural Resource Conservation District for my internship because it fit the parameters of what I’d like to do for future employment. In the future I’d like to focus on conservation of plants and birds, and aspire towards a job in the U.S. Forest Service.
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Volunteer Opportunities
Please call or email, if you have any interest in working at the Nursery this upcoming spring! Volunteers are always welcome to assist at the nursery in the spring – fall months. Spring activities may include planting trees at restoration sites, sowing seeds collected from last season, opening the hoop houses, transplanting potted stock, and general nursery weeding/watering. Come learn about the work we do through the power of plants and help us build a healthier watershed.
Please contact us for any individual or group planting interest.
