A new native-plant nursery in Clark County boasts a broad selection of Northwest plants based on the owner’s inspirations.
Nature’s Haven recently opened to the public at the end of April offering a selection of over 150 native plants available for purchase along with current and upcoming demonstration gardens and a large habitat restoration project to visualize how the endemic plants thrive in the foothills north of Camas.
Jennifer Bargar, owner of Nature’s Haven, has lived on the property for 20 years but only recently gained the idea of gardening with local plants after reading Doug Tallamy’s book “Nature’s Best Hope.”
“I was just so motivated to really convert the property to natives,” Bargar said about her thoughts after reading Tallamy’s book. “So I started putting together the nursery and the plants … and then as I had more plants started, I got on social media saying, ‘Hey, if you want plants, I’ve got lots.’ So people started coming out and buying plants as early as last fall. … So, what I thought was just going to be a hobby has turned into a lot more, which is fantastic and wonderful because I want as many native plants out there as possible.”
Nature’s Haven may not be the typical location for a plant nursery, but for those looking to garnish their property with native, thriving plants, the drive may be worthwhile. Located roughly 17 miles from Battle Ground, the nursery sits in the foothills north of Camas, near the Fern Prairie area.
“I didn’t think anybody would drive out this far, I really didn’t,” Bargar said. “So we’ve tried to put some events together to kind of make it worth their while.”
Plants currently range from sun-loving arrowleaf balsamroot to aggressive Pacific waterleaf, which can tackle English ivy in shaded areas. From annual flowers to forest canopy trees, Nature’s Haven offers a range of foliage. Visit natureshaven.earth/shop/plants for the full list of currently available plants.
Along with plants for sale, those interested can visit the website to sign up for its newsletter and learn more about the importance of native plants, among other topics.
“I had noticed that we didn’t have butterflies hardly ever on the property anymore and we used to have tons, and my husband had noticed that we didn’t have nearly as many birds,” Bargar said as to something of importance she noted before taking on the native plant journey. “I was going to the big box stores to just buy the pretty flowers. So that was pretty eye opening. And then I also learned from Tallamy’s book that just one nest of chickadees needs 6,000 to 9,000 caterpillars to feed the babies till they get out of the nest.”
Bargar added that she also learned from the book that almost every species of butterfly and moth in North America requires native plants on which to lay their eggs. For example, the Western tiger swallowtail butterfly, frequently seen in Clark County and often labeled by locals as a monarch butterfly, utilizes chokecherry, oceanspray, serviceberry, willows and maples as a host plant, according to the Washington Native Plant Society. For adult butterflies, native plants such as milkweed offer food; the narrowleaf milkweed is famous for being the host plant of Monarch butterflies.
To learn more about Nature’s Haven and all it offers, visit natureshaven.earth. It is open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Wednesday through Saturday, at 6403 NE 277th Ave., near Camas, with appointments available other days by visiting natureshaven.earth/visit.
