Native plant lovers flock to this nursery, and so do pollinators
Kelly Strope hopes to improve the region's ecosystems one native plant at a time.
Last year, her nursery, Arcadia Natives, sold over 14,000 perennials, shrubs and trees to gardeners looking for plants native to Western Pennsylvania. This season, she's on track to sell lots more. Not bad, considering just a few years prior, she didn't even know what that meant.
“I knew nothing at all about native plants when we moved here,” she said.
Here, she explained, is the 22-acre wooded property her family owns in Washington, Pa. During nature walks seven years ago, she was intrigued by several blooming plants in the woods and near the pond on her property. She researched these flowering plants, including the tall, daisy-like cutleaf coneflower ( Rudbeckia laciniata ), common milkweed ( Asclepias syriaca ) and the delicate spring beauty ( Claytonia virginica ).
“That ignited a passion for native plant species. I have been pretty obsessed from the beginning,” she said.
These plants were growing naturally in the region prior to colonization from Europe, Strope explained. They support the area's wildlife population, are host plants to pollinators, aid in erosion control, and provide food for birds during nesting season and nectar for migrating butterflies.
“It's really all tied together in an interesting food web that needs to stay in balance,” she said.
As her interest grew, Strope's passion sometimes kept her awake at night. She did a deep dive, sometimes pulling all-nighters.
“Before I would know it, the sun was coming up and I would realize I hadn't even gone to sleep yet.”
It wasn't easy while raising four kids.
In June, 2021, Strope, 42, tried her hand at selling native plants. She grew them from seeds collected on her property, including the nectar-rich boneset ( Eupatorium perfoliatum ) and the autumn-blooming wingstem ( Verbesina alternifolia ). With a few tables and a canopy, she was in business.
Due to unexpected demand, she and husband, Jamie, tripled the space with more tables, pallets and, of course, more plants. She sold nearly 3,000 native plants that summer.
“It was far more than the dozen plants I was hoping to sell. I just had no idea it was going to be hundreds, into the thousands.”
Since that time, Arcadia Natives has seen “exponential growth” every year. The nursery encompasses about an acre of land with a hoop house retail shop and a smaller hoop house for propagation. She has added six part-time workers, including her 20-year-old son, Jayden.
Operating hours are no longer by appointment only. Arcadia Natives is 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday.
Strope continues to grow plants from seed and also trucks in plant plugs, trees and shrubs from suppliers. Plants in 1-quart pots sell for $8. Trees cost $25 for a 1-gallon size and $35 for 2-gallon containers.
Her staff marvels that she can pot a flat of 50 plugs, or young plants, in under 7 minutes.
“I don't know if that's fast,” she said, laughing. “I don't have any formal education, have never worked in a greenhouse or nursery. I don't know how other people run their operation but it comes very naturally for me after doing this for five years.”
Native plants all serve a purpose in the ecosystems. Wild geranium ( Geranium maculatum ) supports the survival of the distant miner bee; it is the bee's only source of pollen, Strope said.
The bright red cardinal flower ( Lobelia cardinalis ) is a magnet for hummingbirds. The pawpaw tree ( Asimina triloba ) is host to the pawpaw sphinx moth, which lays eggs on it and its caterpillars feed on the leaves. Moths are the unsung heroes of the pollinator world, Strope said.
“There are far more night-time pollinators than there are butterflies.”
Deer-resistant plants are very popular. She recommends planting mountain mint ( Pycnanthem muticum ), bee balm ( Monarda ) and aromatic aster ( Symphyotrichum oblongifolium ) in areas where deer like to forage.
“We don't say deer-proof. We say deer-resistant and hope for the best,” she said, as deer have fewer vegetation options as land development increases.
The late-blooming aromatic asters, which resemble mums, are loaded with violet-blue, daisy-like flowers. They will grow in full sun and dry soil and give Monarch butterflies one last feeding stop before migrating south each fall.
“There are a lot of reasons that we love it,” she said.
Some native species are known as aggressive because they can outcompete other natives. Strope prefers “rambunctious” or “having enthusiastic tendencies” when describing plants such as the 12-foot-tall cup plant ( Silphium perfoliatum ) and the showy New England aster ( Symphyotrichum novae-angliae ).
To help with selection, all plants in the nursery are labeled and include a QR code linked to a detailed fact sheet.
Her favorite native plant? Without hesitation, she names blue cohosh ( Caulophyllum thalictroides ). It provides multiseasonal interest with unique flowers in the spring, beautiful large leaves in summer and blue seeds in the fall, she said. It thrives in a wooded environment.
Some plants commonly seen in this region are often mistaken for native. Dames rocket ( Hesperis matronalis ), for example, has tall pink, purple or white phlox-like flowers and is often found along roadways. It is native to Eurasia and was introduced to North America in the 1600s.
“It's pretty but can cause ecological harm,” she said, noting that it and other non-native plants can outcompete native plants while providing little benefit to local wildlife.
“The deer may not eat them. There is no insect that specializes on them, so they can just grow without anything to keep them in check,” Strope said.
As customers browse Arcadia’s 160 species of native plants, shrubs and trees, bugs and butterflies visit, too. Monarch butterflies often lay eggs on swamp and common milkweed and its caterpillars eat its leaves.
American lady butterflies do the same on pearly everlasting ( Anaphalis margaritacea ). They are crucial host plants.
“A lot of our customers who are familiar with native plants and are aware of how beneficial they are get excited they get to take them home and continue generations of beneficial pollinators.”
Ladybugs, lacewings and hoverflies naturally manage aphids on the property — no insecticides needed.
“It’s a place where people don't usually judge holes in the leaves,” Strope said.
In five years, she said the nursery has grown beyond expectations as people demand more ecological landscapes.
“Every single year, I am more and more blown away because the interest keeps growing,” she said.
Arcadia means “a scene of simple pleasure,” she said. And so it is.
Arcadia Natives is located at 2273 S. Main Street Ext., Washington (15301). Information: arcadianatives.com .
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