The hard work and patience of the Native Plant Nursery staff and volunteers has paid off, literally. A key plant for restoration sites, Hall’s Aster plays an important role in providing late season nectar and pollen to bees. But propagating this precious plant doesn’t come easy, which is why the seed is worth $1,000 a pound. This season, the Native Plant Nursery yielded 10 pounds, valued at $10,000!
Even more impressive is the limited space where they were able to accomplish this feat—128 square feet of raised beds. Our alternative seed source has yielded at most two pounds on 10,890 square feet.
The efforts of the staff and nursery volunteers have certainly been rewarded, and the work is critical to establishing this plant in our wetland restorations as well as for our pollinators.