Inspiring Conversations with Julie Slater of Meadow City Native Plant Nursery

Today we’d like to introduce you to Julie Slater.

Hi Julie, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
Meadow City Native Plant Nursery was founded by a group of friends who love nature. The three of us – Julie, Alyssa, and Dave – met at OSU’s School of Environment and Natural Resources.

Learning about the richness and biodiversity of Ohio’s wild habitats made us realize how much was missing from the lawn-dominated landscapes where we live. Then we read Doug Tallamy’s book Nature’s Best Hope. It inspired us to see the potential of home landscapes to support birds, pollinators, and other wildlife which have suffered sharp declines in recent decades. Shrinking your lawn and planting beautiful native plants provides important food and shelter for these organisms.

When we tried to buy native plants for our own projects, we discovered that native plant growers were few and far between. How would the native plant movement grow, we thought, if only the most devoted people could find them? We decided to start a native plant nursery, to reach more people and help them transform their yards.

Because of our restoration backgrounds, we set out to offer not just native species, but “local ecotype” native plants – plants descended from local wild populations. By collecting wild seeds throughout Northeast Ohio, we began growing native plants that are adapted to our climate and bloom and fruit at the right time for birds and pollinators.

In 2022, we sold our first plants at pop-up sales throughout Northeast Ohio. The following year, Meadow City graduated to a retail location. We built the nursery on a well-placed vacant lot in Cleveland’s scrappy and creative Waterloo Arts District. Our location just off I-90 is easy to find, helping us share the joy and beauty of native plants with more people.

Today, Meadow City offers over 100 different species, and we increase our selection each year! We are actively collecting wild seed to add more species of trees, shrubs, ferns, and spring ephemeral wildflowers.

We know first-hand that creating your first native garden can be a little overwhelming, so we try to make it easy. We will help you choose plants that will thrive in your yard. Our Shrink-Your-Lawn kits can help you create new garden beds without breaking a sweat. And beside the nursery, we are creating a large demonstration garden, where you can get hands-on practice during our monthly garden workdays.

Something we love about the native plant movement is the instant impact people can have by creating habitat. Watching the creatures that visit your plants nurtures your connection to the natural world. Why settle for lawn when you could have vibrant gardens buzzing with life? We hope you’ll come visit our shop, check out our beautiful plants, and see what the movement is all about!

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
We grow a lot of plants in a small space, and we’ve had to get creative with how we do things. For example, we partner with other businesses and organizations that help us store our supplies.

Running the nursery is a lot of work for three people. However, we were able to hire our first full-time seasonal employee this year, and we’re excited to see what we can get done with the extra help.

And of course, when your product is a living thing, there are always surprises and challenges! But it is very fulfilling work, and we wouldn’t change it for the world.

Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Meadow City Native Plant Nursery?
At Meadow City Native Plant Nursery, we raise native plants – wildflowers, grasses, trees, shrubs, and more – that grow wild in our region. These plants are used in gardening for their beauty, and they are the same plants that birds and pollinators rely on in their natural habitats. We take pride in the health of our plants, which we grow from seed we collect throughout Northeast Ohio. And we work closely with our customers to make sure their plantings are successful.

Pricing:

• $6.48 – perennial in a 4″ pot

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.meadowcitynursery.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/meadow.city
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/meadow.city
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/meadow-city-native-plant-nursery-cleveland