About Growing Wild Nursery Growing Wild is a small retail nursery, located in southeast North Carolina. We specialize in growing nursery propagated native plants of the Atlantic coastal plain, with a special emphasis in plants that attract wildlife. How to purchase plants We market our plants through special events and the Riverfront Farmers' Market in downtown Wilmington, North Carolina. Orders can also be picked up at the nursery by appointment. At present we do not ship plants, though we plan to in the future. Our plants Most of our plants are grown from documented wild collected seed for genetic diversity. We also grow selections and hybrids of native species that have superior attributes for use in the garden. No plant is ever dug up from the wild and sold, and all rare species are either grown from seeds, cuttings, or division in stock beds, as not to further impact their future survival in the wild. Location We are located in northern Pender County, about 30 miles north of Wilmington, NC. The surrounding region is known as the Cape Fear Arch, a distinct geological feature created 35 million years ago by an uplift of sand and limestone. The Arch is is home to many unique ecosystems, and as a result has a very diverse and botanically rich flora. New plants Whether it's canoeing blackwater creeks or wrestling our way through pocosins (evergreen shrub bogs), we're continually seeking out new species, not yet used in gardens, and exceptional forms of more common species to evaluate for garden worthiness. Sustainability We are working hard to become more sustainable and lessen our environmental footprint. All plants are grown and overwintered outside, with the protection of durable and reusable crop covers. No additional energy is used to force our plants to leaf out or bloom early. We do not routinely spray, but implement an Integrated pest management (IMP) program to monitor for pests and diseases before they become widespread. Our current project is installing a more efficient irrigation system, to decrease our water use. Background Growing Wild Nursery was created in 2006 by Alistair Glen after a decade of studying and propagating the native flora of southeastern North Carolina. Alistair was born in Scotland, though spent most of his youth growing up in New Zealand, where he went on to study and work in Kiwifruit orchards. In the early ninety's Alistair attended Threave school of Horticulture in Castle Douglas, Scotland. After graduating, he went on to travel and work at a variety of public gardens and nurseries in Scotland, New Zealand, and the United States.