Want to grow native plants? This Hopewell Twp. group will help you get started

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A Mercer County group is teaching residents and community members about the benefits of growing native plants.

Andrew Plunkett, an environmental science teacher at Allentown High School, co-founded the Hopewell, NJ Native Plant Swap group after stumbling on the idea while converting his front yard into a native garden a few years ago. He said he intended to create a space for aspiring and veteran native gardeners to swap native plants and seeds and trade gardening tips.

“It was just something that I thought would be super hyper-local, something very beneficial for the community,” he said.

What does the Hopewell, NJ Native Plant Swap group do?

The group, which started in 2020, is now 3,900 members strong. Members can sign up for free and exchange gardening updates, information and ideas that go beyond plant information. One member recently suggested diverting air conditioner condensation into a bucket to water plants. She said she does that and collects 15-20 gallons a day.

The Native Plant Swap group also offers a free seed bank at the Hopewell Public Library. The seed bank is empty right now, but it should be refilled by January, organizers said. Plunkett said the group also works with other organizations, including Hopewell Valley Gardens for Wildlife, to promote native plant projects.

“People have become more aware that the non-native plants that we have historically planted here are not functioning in our ecosystem,” he said. “They are not overly beneficial for our pollinators.”

‘Everyone is welcome’

“What we’re doing together is making it so that it’s easy to get native plants and we’re spreading them around in a way that’s social and fun and creates community,” said Kari Lloyd, the group’s event coordinator.

Lloyd said the group has created an inclusive community where everyone is welcome, including people who don’t know anything about native plants or have no gardening experience.

“If you’re willing to separate seeds and put them into packets, if you’re willing to cut milk jugs to prepare for an event, we need you,” Lloyd said. “If you’re willing to give time and show up for events, you’ll meet people who are so passionate about what we do, you’ll learn and you’ll love it.”

Plunkett said community members have been generous in giving away plants at swap events.

“With native plants, they self-seed, they spread so much, and oftentimes you find yourself pulling the plants with nothing to do with them, so it’s kind of a waste,” he said.

The group holds events in the fall and summer at My Backyard at Nectars, a garden center in Titusville. Rosalind Doremus, the garden center’s owner and an active group member, said the center looks forward to hosting events.

“I enjoy the community aspect of it and it’s better for the environment,” she said. “If I could I would give away all of the plants I have for sale, I would, but that’s just not a good business model.”

Doremus said native plants create a sustainable ecosystem.

“They’re the plants that are feeding our birds, they’re feeding our insects,” she said. “They’ve gone through droughts together, they’ve gone through diseases together, they’ve evolved together. Without native plants our ecosystem and human life would unfortunately collapse.”

Plunkett said the group plays an important role in offering resources about plants native to the area. He acknowledged there are plenty of credible resources online for garden enthusiasts, but said what might work for plants native to North Jersey may not work for native plants in Central Jersey. He said members of the group are happy to share their experiences and advice in a non-structured environment.

“We just have a good time here, we do a little potluck, enjoy each other’s company and talk about native plants,” he said.

Township resident Lisa Anastasi said she recently joined the group because she wanted to create a garden in her front yard.

“I started with the anise hyssop, the bee balm, wild bergamot and swamp milkweed,” she said. “The coolest thing was I planted last year and this year they’ve all re-seeded; I’ve had such a big turnaround, it’s such a bang for the buck.”

Anastasi said her garden is doing well despite this summer’s extreme heat.

“What I learned is that native plants, because they’re so well-suited to this environment, they’re comfortable here,” she said. “They don’t kind of like have a hissy fit if they don’t get a drink one day.”

The next plant swap event, hosted by the Hopewell, NJ Native Plant Swap group, is in September. The group will organize another event in November to swap native plant seeds. In early January, seeds will be put into milk jug cartons for what Lloyd described as “different native seed sowing extravaganza events” that will take place next year.

Anastasi said she believes that anyone interested in planting a native garden should give it a try.

“I was very intimidated, but if you get some advice and start with just three or four plants that you know are going to thrive it will be great,” she said.

Editor’s note: This story idea was brought to us by a community member who visited our May 13 pop-up newsroom at the Mercer County Library’s Hopewell Township branch.