Prairie Nursery

Prairie Nursery is one of the foremost native plant nurseries in Wisconsin.  The Nursery offers a huge selection of native ferns, sedges, grasses, wildflowers, shrubs and vines with a focus on the local “genotype” associated with a geographic area.  Both seeds and live plants are available through the nursery.  Nursery tours are available, and they provide the visitor a wonderful glimpse into the diversity and propagation of native Wisconsin and Midwestern flora.

Background

More than 40 years ago, one of the first nurseries to grow and sell native plants sprang to life on the rural fringes of Westfield, Wisconsin. Founded in 1972 by J. Robert Smith, a retired DNR employee, Prairie Nursery began as a garden on a half-acre plot. Inspired by the wildflowers and grasses growing around his farm, Robert Smith began experimenting with Lupine and Butterflyweed, teaching himself how to germinate, grow and transplant prairie plants.

Meanwhile, Neil Diboll was a student at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, where be began studying prairie ecology. After graduating from UWGB Neil worked summers for the U.S. Park Service in Virginia, and later the U.S. Forest Service in Colorado, before returning to Green Bay to continue his own prairie research.

During this time while working at the University’s Arboretum, Neil set out to plant as many areas as possible to prairie flowers and grasses. As it turned out, the majority of the seed he purchased came from a fellow named Bob Smith, in Westfield. In 1982 Neil called Bob and asked him if he would want to sell some of his stock plants so that Neil could establish a prairie nursery in his own backyard. Bob said he might consider that, but suggested instead that Neil move to Westfield and take over the operation of Prairie Nursery.

Robert Smith and Neil Diboll were both ecologists and strong proponents of the early prairie restoration movement. Their goal was to not only grow rare and unusual plants, but to also preserve the genetic integrity of the plants. Their knowledge, commitment and enthusiasm for native plants are at the root of Prairie Nursery’s mission and have sustained the Nursery through the decades.

From its origins as a backyard prairie garden, Prairie Nursery has grown to become a national retailer of native plants and seeds. The Nursery strives to offer the highest quality and variety of North American native plants to its customers.