Redbud Native Plant Nursery: Plantings for our region

By Margaret Gilmour

I’ve always been attracted to native plants, especially the more delicate, shade-loving varieties like geraniums (Geranium maculatum), Virginia bluebells (Mertensia virginica) and wood ferns (Dryopteris clintoniana).

So has Catherine Smith, Owner of Redbud Native Plant Nursery in Glen Mills.

But, I am drawn to natives because, among other things, they promote simple, garden environments that demand less attention than non-natives.

Smith, on the other hand, loves how natives foster bio-diversity. “I love to see the critters they attract, and the increase in birds and butterflies that appear in native plant environments,” she says.

More specifically, Smith points to the spicebush (Lindera benzoin) swallowtail caterpillar. “These bright green caterpillars with fake eye-spots are comical,” she says. “And they only feed on the spicebush and sassafras (Sassafras albidum).”

Her point: The amusing little caterpillars are dependent on these native plants for survival. Without the food source, there would be no gorgeous, spicebush swallowtail butterflies.

Smith, who worked for many years in the corporate world, opened Redbud Native Plant Nursery in 2002 after completing course work for a master’s degree in environmental studies. “I knew it was time for a career change,” Smith says. “The nursery space became available, and I bought it.”

Over the weekend, I dropped by Redbud, which is filled with native trees, shrubs, grasses, vines, ferns and wildflowers. Inside a small building is a gift shop and bookstore stacked with plenty of helpful resources.

It’s Smith, though, that takes the nursery experience to another level. Just when you thought you knew all about a particular plant, there she is sharing an anecdote or two that connects you to the plant’s origins, uses or particular wildlife it lures.

So, if you leave with a something new for your garden (and it’s almost guaranteed that you will), you’re attached to it even before makes it in the ground.

It also feels good knowing that, along with supporting the environment by growing natives in your landscape, you’re also establishing a habitat for creatures looking for forage or refuge. 

And while it used to be that you could hardly wait for your new shrub or vine to bloom, now you’ll want to keep your binoculars handy too. After all, there’s something good happening out there.