Question 1

What do I do about APHIDS?

Accepted Answer

No worries at all! No chemicals nor pesticides needed! Often if you let nature take its course ladybugs will visit and take care of the aphids. If you feel the aphids are overwhelming your plant you can blast them off with a spray of water. If they are clinging to the plant you can use your hand to move them off while you spray (we prefer to use a gloved hand or your hand will be yellow). Once aphids are on the ground they will not find their way back up the plant.

Question 2

Do you have any plants that are DEER RESISTANT?

Accepted Answer

If deer get hungry enough, they will eat just about anything, and it is quickly becoming one of the more dire ecological issues in our area. The plantson this list have been known to withstand deer browsing, few will be largely ignored entirely. The caveat, as always, is that the resistance is not always consistent in different locations. What works for some, may not for others. 
 
Here are some tips:
• Plants with the following characteristics are often unpalatable to grazing herbivores: fuzzy leaves, tough leathery fibrous leaves, aromatic leaves, aromatic flowers, spines or
bristles, toxic compounds. (From "Deer Resistant Native Plants for the Northeast"by Ruth Rogers Clausen and Gregory D. Tepper).
• Plant deer-resistant plants, you can search through our plants buy their ability to withstand grazing: https://www.bluestemnatives.com/plants?special+notes=deer+resistant*
• Our best recommendation is to plant more plants. Deer and rabbits are part of the food web even though the nibbling pressure can be too much at times. The more you have the less nibbling you will notice.
• We highly recommend protecting young plants, as they are more likely to withstand browsing when they are fully grown.
• Repellents like garlic, cayenne pepper, and spices like clove can be effective, however, you will need to reapply after every rain.

Question 3

What do I do when I find a plant in my garden has a FUNGUS?

Accepted Answer

Treating fungal issues in plants can be frustrating. Some plants are more susceptible to issues such as powdery mildew. While the mildew is not visually appealing to us, most of the time it doesn’t cause real damage to the plants. The best way to treat fungal issues is of course to try and prevent them.
 
For bushy perennials, you can thin some of the plants to allow for more air circulation, remove dead leaves from the bottom half of stems, and trim off any leaves that have evidence of fungal infections. Water the base of plants rather than from the top, and try not to allow the water to splash up onto leaves.
 
If you do have an issue starting to take hold, you first need to identify the infection in order to properly treat it. Apps like PictureThis can provide basic information to help guide you. Proper applications of fungicides can be useful in preventing large scale outbreaks in your garden.

Question 4

Do you sell GIFT CARDS?

Accepted Answer

Yes! Spread the cheer of native plants with a gift card to Blue Stem Natives. This e-card can be used in person or online.

Question 5

What are JUMPING WORMS and what does Blue Stem do to avoid them?

Accepted Answer

Asian Jumping Worms (AWJ) (Amynthas agrestis, Amynthas tokioensis, and Metophire hilgendorfi) reproduce at rapid rates, are parthenogenic, which means they are able reproduce without a mate and unlike the European species, have the ability to greatly reduce the fertility in the top few inches of soil. They have potentially been in the area for decades but have seemed to spread more recently. 
What are we doing to avoid jumping worms?
-We sanitize our pots, trays, and tags, and tools.
-All of our plants are up off the ground.
-Our soil is stored off the ground in waterproof bags. 
-We inspect all of our plants on a regular basis.
Here are 5 things that YOU can do to avoid bringing in jumping worms to your property from any source:
1) Before purchasing a plant from ANY business or plant swap: visually inspect the roots for signs of jumping worms: you may see the worms themselves, or their castings which look like piles of coffee grounds.
2) If you see a suspect worm in a plant you bring home put it in a bag and throw it away.
3) Educate yourself on jumping worm identification (see resources below)
4) If you bring home a plant from somewhere that has jumping worms contact the business immediately.
5) Clean your shoes off before and after a hike through the woods so as to not share worm cocoons or to not bring them home with you.
 
Further reading:
Cornell University Extension
UMass Extension

Question 6

Do you do LANDSCAPE DESIGN?

Accepted Answer

We are not landscape designers but we have two possibilities for you:
1) Want to optimize the ecological balance of your landscape? Have us out for a consultation to help guide you in plant choices. Want to know what plants to keep, what to remove, and what you might like to add? Open to those that live within 30 miles from Norwell. See more information about our consultations here.
2) Visit our Garden Design page for more information about local designers.

Question 7

Do you sell MATURE TREES?

Accepted Answer

The trees and shrubs we sell range in age from a year old to 4 years old. We do not sell fully mature trees as we don’t have the infrastructure to carry them. But…our trees are healthy and lovely and will be happiest being transplanted as young trees.

Question 8

Can you tell me if specific trees are MALE OR FEMALE before I buy?

Accepted Answer

Because our plants tend to be younger we are most often unable to determine if they are male or female. Many trees can’t be identified until 10 years old and range from 2-5 years old. We highly recommend buying multiple plants of the same species if they are a dioecious species.
 
Dioecious (dahy-EE-shuhs) plants have either male or female reproductive parts, and are not self-pollinating. When the plants are dioecious, you must have at least one corresponding male plant growing in or around your landscaping for the fruit-bearing female plants to be pollinated.

Question 9

When will you have that PLANT/seed/item I WANT?

Accepted Answer

If a species is labeled as "coming soon", its roots are not yet ready for outplanting. On each species’ page you can sign up for notification when inventory is available. You will be notified via email automatically. The same goes for seeds and items from the trading post.

Question 10

Can you come to my HOUSE and help me or can you LOOK at my photos to help plan a garden?

Accepted Answer

We now offer individual ecological garden consultations, open to those that live within 30 miles of Norwell. Please note this is not a design service, see here for more specifics. If you are looking for one-on-one advice we recommend you sign up for this.
 
Please note that although we love looking at customers' garden photos via email and in person, there isn't enough time in the day to pick out every plant for customers. :) If you visit us in person we are more than happy to answer specific species questions.
 
If you are looking to hire a designer you can find some recommendations here.

Question 11

How does buying plants online work, and how do I PICK-UP?"

Accepted Answer

ALL ONLINE ORDERS WILL BE READY FOR PICK-UP 72 HOURS AFTER PURCHASE, often sooner. You will receive a pick-up ready email.
 
Orders can be picked up during open hours (see website footer for current hours). Or by appointment (email info@bluestemnatives.com if you won't be able to pick up during store hours)
 
We kindly ask that you pick-up any orders within one week of purchase or email for alternative plans.

Question 12

Do you SHIP/DELIVER plants?

Accepted Answer

We do not ship nor deliver plants. But please be on the lookout for future events where we will be bringing our plants to different locations. Sign up for our newsletter in the footer to keep up to date.

Question 13

Where are you LOCATED?

Accepted Answer

We are located at 376 Washington Street (route 53) in Norwell, MA.
You can find us in the rear lot of Village Gardens. There is a small silk flower shop up front but you can find us in the back.
 
In addition to buying plants you can also find yarn at Yarns End, pottery at Local Pottery, lovely clothing at Lyn Evans, and you can pamper yourself at Eclipxe Salon, etc. Plansome time to shop!

Question 14

Is *this* plant NATIVE?

Accepted Answer

Need to identify a plant... and also curious if it’s native?
 
Here are some of our favorite tools for identifying:
 
APPS
Seek
iNaturalist
Picture This
 
WEBSITES
Go Botany
Wildflower.org (please note this is in Texas but is comprehensive)
Illinois Wildlfower (not Massachusetts but also complrehensive)
 
BOOKS
Newcomb's Wildflower Guide
Growing and Propagating Wildflowers

Question 15

What about HONEYBEES?

Accepted Answer

Hold on to your hats! Honeybees aren’t a native species here. They were (and still are) imported from Europe for the purpose of pollinating agricultural crops.
 
While honeybees are important, (and create delicious honey which we enjoy), they aren’t the pollinators that WE are most interested in supporting. In fact, our native bumblebees are said to be 2-4 times more efficient pollinators than the European honeybee!
 
We recommend checking out Dr. Gegear’s research on native bees and the plants which most support them.

Question 16

Do you sell WHOLESALE?

Accepted Answer

Are you a landscape/designer who wants to incorporate more native plants into your designs? Find out more about wholesale accounts here. Please note, we have a limited number of spaces each year for wholesale accounts. You can also email us at wholesale@bluestemnatives.com.

Question 17

WHAT is a NATIVE plant?

Accepted Answer

Native plants (in the US) are widely defined as those that grew in an area before European settlement. According to the USDA, a native plant is “… a part of the balance of nature that has developed over hundreds or thousands of years in a particular region or ecosystem.” (nrcs.usda.gov) Learn more here.

Question 18

Can I PRE-ORDER plants?

Accepted Answer

At this time we are unable to take pre-orders for standard retail purchases. We highly recommend you sign up for availability notification on each species’ page if there is something you are particularly interested in. We thank you for your interest.
 
If you are a landscaper/designer who is interested in wholesale plants, please contact us at wholesale@bluestemnatives.com for more information.

Question 19

What is a CULTIVAR?

Accepted Answer

A cultivar is, true to its name, a cultivated variety. A human takes a plant that has a desirable characteristic and propagates that plant, creating multiple copies. These aren’t considered “babies” as there is no reproduction involved, rather, these are all clones of the original plant. Oftentimes the clones are also sterile, and the only means of making more plants with that characteristic is through cuttings, grafting, or tissue cultures. Cultivars are not grown from seed, as doing so would result in genetic diversity, producing different characteristics as occurs in the wild.
You can easily tell when a plant is a cultivar because it has been given a name, one that is enclosed in single quotations. ‘Sunset Hydrangea’, ‘Purple People Eater’, ‘Dayglo Bikini’…you get the idea. A nursery tag would have the botanical name and variety, sometimes common name, and the ‘cultivar’. When you see a name in single quotes, you know that this plant is an exact copy of the original plant.
 
Simply put, cultivars reduce genetic diversity which is why we don’t carry them. You can read more about cultivars here.

Question 20

Do you give PRESENTATIONS?

Accepted Answer

Absolutely! Presentations are given on-site, off-site, or virtually. We cater to ecological gardeners in eastern Massachusetts and beyond. Find more information here.

Question 21

How will *this* species grow in MY yard?

Accepted Answer

On each species’ page you will find best practices for growing each plant. Please note that native plant growth, size and aggressiveness varies in different soil/water/sun conditions. Straight species’ growth is not as predictable as growth in many cultivars.

Frequently Asked Questions