Resources: where to buy local native plants

Finding the right plants for any garden can be challenging. But it's doubly tricky if you're trying to focus on plants that grow in your local area. Here are a few places that will be able to help.  

Plants from Wollongong City Council's GreenPlan Nursery on display at the launch of the Growing Illawarra Natives website. Image by Cath Blakey.

Council nurseries
Wollongong Botanic Garden GreenPlan Nursery	Open for plant sales on the 3rd Friday of each month 7.30am-2.30pm, and for special sales at other times. Check the website for details: www.wollongongbotanicgarden.com.au/events/greenplan-plant-sales Address: Northfields Avenue, Keiraville (Greenplan Nursery entrance) Email: botanicgarden@wollongong.nsw.gov.au   Phone: 4227 7667
Shellharbour  Council Nursery	Open Monday to Friday 7.30am-3.45pm, and occasionally at other times. Check the website for details: https://www.shellharbour.nsw.gov.au/environment/plant-nursery  Address: 132 Industrial Road, Oak Flats NSW 2529 Email: nursery@shellharbour.nsw.gov.au   Phone: 4221 61911
Landcare Illawarra nurseries The following nurseries support revegetation under Landcare Illawarra's Woodlands and Rainforest Project. Seed collections are all local/regional provenance and cover a wide range of species.
Stuart Alexander	Located in Tongarra. By appointment. Email: stuandsuz@gmail.com      Phone: 4256 0099 or 0438 560 099 (Stuart Alexander)
Carl’s Nursery	Located in Kiama Downs. By appointment. Email: carl.glaister@optusnet.com.au   Phone: 0420 813 284 (Carl Glaister)
Currys Mountain Estate	Located in Willow Vale. By appointment. Email: currysmt@bigpond.net.au   Phone: 0404 086 040 (Andrew McNeil)
Wendy Midgley	Located in Berkeley. By appointment.  Email:  midgesbr@yahoo.com.au   Phone: 0409 022 659 (Wendy Midgley)
Mountain Echo Landscape and Horticulture	Located in Berry. Appointment by phone, but generally available 9am-5pm  Mon-Fri. Website: https://mountainecho.com.au  Email: mountainecholandscape@gmail.com Phone: 0424 236 235 (Katie Wright) or 0409 743 828 (Ryan Hogan)
Other nurseries
Berry Public School Plant Propagation Nursery	Berry Public School, Clarence Street, Berry Opening hours: Wednesdays 1-4pm, Thursdays 3-4pm during school term times. Special autumn and spring weekend sales days. Other times by appointment. Email: lyn-clark@outlook.com.au   Phone: 4464 3911
Jamberoo Native Nursery	Sells a wide range of species wholesale and for bush revegetation. Minimum order of $500. Contact the nursery for further details and conditions.     Website: http://jamberoonatives.com.au  Address: 127 Curramore Rd Jamberoo NSW 2533 Email: sales@jamberoonatives.com.au     Phone: 4236 0445

There are other nurseries that stock native plants, including some that grow naturally in Illawarra, but do not source propagating material from the region. Caution should be used with plants from these sources, and they should not be planted in or near natural areas such as nature reserves or state conservation areas. 

• The Sutherland Shire Community Nursery has a range of tubestock and small pots, including many species local to the Illawarra as well as around Sutherland. There are stocklists on the website so you can see what is available before paying them a visit. 
• Sydney Wildflower Nursery sells Sydney and Australian natives, including dwarf varieties and cultivars. They do stock some species local to the Illawarra region. 
• The Illawarra Grevillea Park has open days three or four times a year, including a plant sale, and may stock local native species.  

It's best to check the provenance of plants available from these sources, and share the message that you prefer to buy plants from local provenance seeds. 

A stash of plants from local nurseries. Image by Emma Rooksby. 

If you know of a nursery that stocks local native plants but is not on the list below, please get in touch. Equally, if you're trying to obtain a particular species but are unsuccessful, please leave feedback and we will try to help!