Contact
Call/Text
(914) 215-5397
Email
info@wildgardensnursery.com
About Wild Gardens Nursery
Wild Gardens Nursery is a seasonal retail nursery located in Cortlandt Manor, NY. We sell locally grown perennial native plants from March through June and September through October. Be sure to join our mailing list (in the footer below) or follow us on Facebook to hear about upcoming sales and events. For an updated sales schedule click on “Plants".”
We grow the majority of our plants from seed for maximum genetic diversity. We use with NO pesticides or neonicotinoids. Our plants are sold in biodegradable cowpots sourced from a dairy farm in CT.
Most of our shrubs and trees come from New York State’s tree seedling nursery in Saratoga Springs. These young, hardy native woodies are well suited to our climate.
The nursery is open to the public for browsing twice a year, in April and September.
At other times the nursery offers online sales through the online store on this website. At the time of ordering, you will choose a pick-up time later that week. We will box the order up and have it ready for you when you arrive at the nursery.
Fall plant sale 2022
Cardinal flower blooming in the shade house
Young plants in their CowPots ready to sell
Eva Thaddeus, owner
Eva grew up in Manhattan and Columbia County, and has always been a passionate gardener and naturalist. She has a BA in biology and a Masters in Elementary Education. After a 20-year career as a public school teacher in New Mexico, and four years as an environmental educator at Teatown Preserve, she opened Wild Gardens. Eva continues to study horticulture and landscape design at the New York Botanical Garden and with New Directions in the American Landscape. At the nursery she’ll be the person who answers your phone calls and emails.
Haijing Qiu (HQ,) propagator and gardener
HQ has just graduated from the School of Professional Horticulture at the New York Botanical Garden. Her passion is in ecological landscaping and using native plants as one of the pillars for mitigating the effects of climate change. She has worked in several ecological/sustainability oriented organizations in Westchester. HQ is a career shifter who also brings with her a variety of skills from her former career life in the tech industry.
Leigh Draper, special projects
Leigh was formerly trails technician at Teatown and gives her prodigious energy to many infrastructure improvements at Wild Gardens. Because of her we have two fabulous kiosks for order pick-ups. You may also know her as the person who greets customers and directs traffic at our in-person sales.
Our story
Wild Gardens began as a three-person collaboration in January, 2020. Over dinner, former educator Eva Thaddeus and Rewilding School owners Eric Stone and Megan Cohen shared their visions of a native plant nursery that would give home gardeners a way to help restore habitat in and around Westchester County. Eva owned land in Cortlandt Manor, and the trio decided to plunge in and order several hundred woody seedlings from the state, and an array of wildflower seeds from Prairie Moon Nursery in Minnesota. The venture had begun.
Two months later, the pandemic hit our shores. One thing that COVID didn’t harm was gardens. In fact, the new nursery flourished as many people forced to stay home took a new or renewed interest in gardening. Eric drove many people’s orders to them because we couldn’t hold in-person sales.
In 2021 Eric and Megan left Wild Gardens to focus on their other enterprise, and Julie Sootin became co-owner of the nursery. Over the next two years Julie brought a wealth of innovation and improvement to the young business. Because of Julie we now winter sow our seeds in milk jugs. She also worked behind the scenes to improve our website, online store, and social media presence. At the end of 2022 Julie decided to switch careers and go back to school in social work, leaving Eva sole owner of the business.
People want to plant natives, and we are working hard to meet the need. We have added about 50% more species every year, and our customer base continues to expand.
Who we are
Megan Leahy, propagator and gardener
Megan has recently moved to the area from Pennsylvania, where she had a variety of jobs- from bookseller to plant propagator. Although she has gardened her whole life, she discovered a love for native plants just a few years ago and loves to get to know new plants. When not working or in the garden, you can find her hiking or kayaking, attempting to learn the violin, or sitting in the sun enjoying a good book. At Wild Gardens she is helping with general plant work and also putting a special focus on developing a demonstration shade garden.
Rebecca Dymes, propagator and gardener
Rebecca has been gardening for the last 13 years. She is a certified arborist and has trained at Stonecrop Gardens. Practicing sustainability and working to create beauty is her mission. Through her nursery work she looks forward to meeting other plant enthusiasts!
Veronica Clark, intern
Veronica Clark studied English at the University of Oklahoma but has become increasingly interested in farming and sustainability over the last year. She will be bringing her enthusiam and can-do attitude to Wild Gardens for the months of April-June, where she will be doing a little of everything, and a lot of important work for the nursery. We’ll get a picture of her up when she gets here
“Native plants give us a sense of where we are in this great land of ours. I want Texas to look like Texas and Vermont to look like Vermont.”
Why Native Plants?
Once established, native plants are easier to grow, requiring less maintenance to thrive. Besides adding beauty, seasonal interest, and edible or medicinal value to the garden, they also provide a vital source of food and shelter for pollinators and other wildlife. Read more:
Contact
Call/Text
(914) 215-5397
Email
info@wildgardensnursery.com
About Wild Gardens Nursery
Wild Gardens Nursery is a seasonal retail nursery located in Cortlandt Manor, NY. We sell locally grown perennial native plants from March through June and September through October. Be sure to join our mailing list (in the footer below) or follow us on Facebook to hear about upcoming sales and events.
We grow the majority of our plants from seed for maximum genetic diversity. We use with NO pesticides or neonicotinoids. Our plants are sold in biodegradable cowpots sourced from a dairy farm in CT.
Most of our shrubs and trees come from New York State’s tree seedling nursery in Saratoga Springs. These young, hardy native woodies are well suited to our climate.
The nursery is open to the public for browsing twice a year, in April and September.
At other times the nursery offers online sales through the online store on this website. At the time of ordering, you will choose a pick-up time later that week. We will box the order up and have it ready for you when you arrive at the nursery.
Fall plant sale 2022
Cardinal flower blooming in the shade house
Young plants in their CowPots ready to sell
Eva Thaddeus, owner
Eva grew up in Manhattan and Columbia County, and has always been a passionate gardener and naturalist. She has a BA in biology and a Masters in Elementary Education. After a 20-year career as a public school teacher in New Mexico, and four years as an environmental educator at Teatown Preserve, she opened Wild Gardens. Eva continues to study horticulture and landscape design at the New York Botanical Garden and with New Directions in the American Landscape. At the nursery she’ll be the person who answers your phone calls and emails.
Haijing Qiu (HQ,) propagator and gardener
HQ has just graduated from the School of Professional Horticulture at the New York Botanical Garden. Her passion is in ecological landscaping and using native plants as one of the pillars for mitigating the effects of climate change. She has worked in several ecological/sustainability oriented organizations in Westchester. HQ is a career shifter who also brings with her a variety of skills from her former career life in the tech industry.
Leigh Draper, special projects
Leigh was formerly trails technician at Teatown and gives her prodigious energy to many infrastructure improvements at Wild Gardens. Because of her we have two fabulous kiosks for order pick-ups. You may also know her as the person who greets customers and directs traffic at our in-person sales.
Our story
Wild Gardens began as a three-person collaboration in January, 2020. Over dinner, former educator Eva Thaddeus and Rewilding School owners Eric Stone and Megan Cohen shared their visions of a native plant nursery that would give home gardeners a way to help restore habitat in and around Westchester County. Eva owned land in Cortlandt Manor, and the trio decided to plunge in and order several hundred woody seedlings from the state, and an array of wildflower seeds from Prairie Moon Nursery in Minnesota. The venture had begun.
Two months later, the pandemic hit our shores. One thing that COVID didn’t harm was gardens. In fact, the new nursery flourished as many people forced to stay home took a new or renewed interest in gardening. Eric drove many people’s orders to them because we couldn’t hold in-person sales.
In 2021 Eric and Megan left Wild Gardens to focus on their other enterprise, and Julie Sootin became co-owner of the nursery. Over the next two years Julie brought a wealth of innovation and improvement to the young business. Because of Julie we now winter sow our seeds in milk jugs. She also worked behind the scenes to improve our website, online store, and social media presence. At the end of 2022 Julie decided to switch careers and go back to school in social work, leaving Eva sole owner of the business.
People want to plant natives, and we are working hard to meet the need. We have added about 50% more species every year, and our customer base continues to expand.
Who we are
Megan Leahy, propagator and gardener
Megan has recently moved to the area from Pennsylvania, where she had a variety of jobs- from bookseller to plant propagator. Although she has gardened her whole life, she discovered a love for native plants just a few years ago and loves to get to know new plants. When not working or in the garden, you can find her hiking or kayaking, attempting to learn the violin, or sitting in the sun enjoying a good book. At Wild Gardens she is helping with general plant work and also putting a special focus on developing a demonstration shade garden.
Rebecca Dymes, propagator and gardener
Rebecca has been gardening for the last 13 years. She is a certified arborist and has trained at Stonecrop Gardens. Practicing sustainability and working to create beauty is her mission. Through her nursery work she looks forward to meeting other plant enthusiasts!
“Native plants give us a sense of where we are in this great land of ours. I want Texas to look like Texas and Vermont to look like Vermont.”
Why Native Plants?
Once established, native plants are easier to grow, requiring less maintenance to thrive. Besides adding beauty, seasonal interest, and edible or medicinal value to the garden, they also provide a vital source of food and shelter for pollinators and other wildlife. Read more: