Habitat Restoration
Native West Nursery has 21 years of experience partnering with habitat restoration practitioners.
We began operations in 2003 to meet the growing need for large volumes of Restoration Quality native plant and seed material from the southwestern United States. Over the past two decades we have been perfecting our growing process to produce a hardy plant that is best adapted to survive once planted. With Native West Nursery, you can be confident your plants will succeed.
Plant with confidence.
Restoration Quality Plants
Our tough-love approach produces a healthy, insect-free, disease-free plant that will stand up to the rigors of its new environment.
LEARN MOREIntegrity in the Source
Source identification increases survivability and is essential to maintaining the genetic integrity of each plant community. We always collect seed ethically to help ensure wild populations still thrive.
Large Scale
With 130 acres, we’re able to maintain a large in-stock supply at competitive prices and have the space and capabilities to contract grow for any size project.
Native Plant Specialists
With roots in habitat restoration and 21 years of experience, we have the knowledge needed to make sure your project succeeds. We want your plants to thrive and we’re here to provide guidance.
LEARN MOREHabitat Restoration Services
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Contract Growing
We can use existing source-identified seed in inventory or collect new site-specific seed and grow it your specifications. All plants are labeled and segregated by seed collection region to maintain genetic integrity.
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Custom Seed Collection
Our seed collection specialists have years of experience in the ecological harvesting of native seed. All seeds are source-identified by region, collection site, species name, client name, and date collected. We always collect seed ethically to help ensure wild populations still thrive.
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Seed Storage and Management
Seeds are stored in cool, dry conditions inside our concrete facility. Seeds are maintained by our full-time staff using a variety of proven methods researched and developed at Native West Nursery.
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Seed Farming
If a project calls for quantities of seed unobtainable in the wild or if it is not desirable to impact the habitat to collect the seed, Native West Nursery can grow plants for seed production. At optimum maturity, we collect, clean, and package the seed per your request.
Habitat Restoration Resources
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Native Plants for Restoration
View our list of native plant communities found in Southern California and the plants that define them.
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Native Plant Database
We’ve prepared plant profiles from reliable sources, supplementing this with anecdotal experiences. We believe these personal accounts offer valuable insights into how these species thrive under various conditions.
To earn the Restoration Quality designation, we:
Use only local source-identified seed to ensure the genetic integrity and variability of each species
Use only native soil for better water retention, adaptability, and survivability than conventional nursery mix
Add to our soils the native mycorrhizal component called for in many restoration plans
Grow in full sun
Fertilize only in rare cases—native soils already contain essential nutrients
Use pesticides only if the life of the crop is at risk
Subject our plants to controlled-drought situations in the nursery
Restoration Quality plants have the best chance of survival when facing poor soils, strong winds, over- or underwatering, insect damage, herbivory, and other environmental stresses. Our tough-love approach produces a healthy, insect- and disease-free plant that will stand up to the rigors of its new environment.
Restoration Quality
Our talented team of seed collection specialists ethically harvest native seeds. Ethical seed collection means we work with a light footprint leaving the majority of native plant populations untouched to ensure wild populations will continue thriving.
All our collected seed is source-identified by region, collection site, species name, client name and date collected. Source-identified plants are valued in habitat restoration efforts to maintain the genetic integrity of each plant community while increasing the survival rate of the plants.
An Artemisia californica with genetics from Santa Cruz County is technically the same species as an Artemisia californica from San Diego but each plant evolved in very different conditions. A San Diego adapted Artemisia may not thrive in the wetter cooler conditions of Santa Cruz and vice versa. Location matters when it comes to California! The varied topography and resulting microclimates put pressure on ecotypes to evolve over time.
Integrity in the Source
We maintain a large in-stock supply of source-identified species native to the western U.S. in a variety of container sizes. View our wholesale plant availability or wholesale seed inventory.
If your project requires uncommon container sizes, specific site collection, plants not normally kept in our inventory, or any other special circumstance, consider a contract grow order.
Large Inventory
Our foundation in habitat restoration and over two decades of experience have equipped us with expertise in the field. Our commitment goes beyond simply supplying plants; we are invested in the success of your projects.
We have created a plant database with anecdotal experiences: insights from our projects and stories shared by others. These accounts offer insights into how these species thrive under various conditions. We encourage you to share your experiences as we expand on this resource to help native plant projects succeed.
Feel free to contact us with any questions or comments you may have.
Native Plant Specialists
Contact Us
To inquire about services or plant availability, please fill out the form below or email patrick@nativewest.com. Every project is unique, so all bids are on a per-project basis.
If you have any questions about the process, feel free to give us at a call at 619-423-2284.