Native Plant Nursery

Every plant, cared for by volunteers and our staff, begins with a seed collected from San Francisco’s wild spaces.

Our team plants natives to bring year-round color and pollinator habitat to your San Francisco garden.

We grow and plant natives like Coastal Buckwheat, a keystone plant that feeds countless insects, including this Acmon Blue butterfly.

Our Nursery grows, donates, and sells native plants destined for public spaces, backyards, and community gardens all over San Francisco.

What is the Native Plant Nursery?

Our Native Plant Nursery is where we cultivate the plants that restore wild habitats across San Francisco. With the help of dedicated volunteers, we collect seeds and cuttings from local native plants at our community projects and gardens.

As a volunteer, you can take plants home to raise them in your own backyard, fostering baby plants and nurturing them to maturity. When plants are ready, you can join one of our planting workdays, or bring them back to our nursery.

Most of the plants we grown go straight into habitat restoration projects. And we always keep a core collection of native plants on hand for our clients—bringing the wild home, one garden at a time. 🌱 Email us if you would like to order plants or schedule a garden design consultation.

Where is the Native Plant Nursery located?

Our nursery is at the McAteer Campus Community Farm, nestled in Glen Canyon between Glen Park and Twin Peaks. This campus is the largest parcel of land managed by the San Francisco Unified School District and is home to two high schools: Ruth Asawa School of the Arts, and The Academy.

Why is the Native Plant Nursery important?

At Nature in the City, we believe in growing plants and sharing them! Native plants, such as Seaside Buckwheat, Seaside Daisy, Dune Strawberry, and White Yarrow, provide habitat for our local species. We grow plants from San Francisco seeds to ensure greater survival of the plants that have evolved to grow in our local microclimates.

How can I take part?

There are many ways that you can support wildlife at home. 

  • Attend a nursery workday and help us grow native plants.

  • Check out our Garden services, and work with us to design and install an oasis for wildlife in your backyard.

  • 🌱 Email us to order plants or schedule a garden design consultation.

Additional Resources

 

Community workdays at the nursery are every 4th Saturday of the month. Visit our calendar to RSVP to the next one!