Helia Native Nursery (HNN) is nestled between the Berkshire hills and the Taconic ridge, in a valley, featuring biodiverse forest and meadows, regenerating after generations of timber harvesting and agriculture.
The nursery is part of the 109-acres of Sky Meadow Farm, where sunlight, wind and water intersect abundantly. A trail weaves a circle through the dynamic land: a restored fen, wildflower meadows, rich woodlands and old tree growth.
The nursery grows native perennials, trees and shrubs, preserving native genotypes through seed banking. Our plants are available for the landscaping community, homeowners, and nature enthusiasts. Many of the species we propagate are rare, comparable to what's sold by the standard nursery industry. Our techniques of propagation are strictly earth-based. We use the highest quality organic potting material, compost, topsoil from the farm, and mulch to create a diverse soil food web.
We use a passive solar greenhouse, reuse all our pots and are conscious about our daily water use and we have a strict non-chemical approach to plant propagation.
HNN has tended to thousands of plants, predominantly unique Berkshire County genotypes—waking from dormancy after the winter and there are constantly new plants germinating in the seed bank, which was built with funding made possible by the Alford Land Trust.
Helia recognizes that local and global ecosystems are becoming exponentially threatened by climate change, pollution and development, we've made it our mission to protect native plant diversity, create and enhance habitats for birds, butterflies, pollinators, amphibians, and dragonflies, and thus support a resilient ecosystem.
At the farm, both the Nursery and Helia Land Design, our congruent and innovative land design team, focus on restoring wildflower meadows, woodlands, and wetlands and creating sacred spaces for humans, animals and plants alike. Helia Land Design follows this same model of land stewardship when working on client lands.
Three years ago, HNN was founded by horticulturalist and landscape designer Bridghe McCracken, after the sale of Project Native, a non-profit where she was Chief Landscape Designer for ten years. The founding of HNN was a solution to continue her and Project Native’s mission to save unique Berkshire native plant seed and propagate plants from those seeds, to be sold to landscape design clients and the public, part of an effort to restore and expand the strained ecosystem in the Berkshires.
For Media and Nursery Inquiries, please contact a HNN staff member at (413) 528-1400, helianativenursery@gmail.com
Open house weekends of the 2024 season
We will only be open for plant purchases and pick ups on these dates. So mark your calendars!
May
Every Thursday, Friday and Saturday 9:00 - 4:00 during the month of May.
May 2nd, 3rd, 4th
May 9th, 10th, 11th
May 16th, 17th, 18th
May 23rd, 24th, 25th
May 30th, 31st & June 1st
Sunday, May 19th: Nursery Closed. Come visit us at the Rare Plants and Garden Antiques Sale @ Trade Secrets.
June
Saturday, June 1st 9:00 - 4:00
Thursday, June 6th 9:00 - 4:00
Friday, June 7th 9:00 - 4:00
Saturday, June 8th 9:00 - 4:00
Thursday, June 13th 9:00 - 4:00
Friday, June 14th 9:00 - 4:00
Saturday, June 15th 9:00 - 4:00
July
Thursday, July 11th 9:00 - 4:00
Friday, July 12th 9:00 - 4:00
Saturday, July 13th 9:00 - 4:00
August
Thursday, August 22nd 9:00 - 4:00
Friday, August 23rd 9:00 - 4:00
Saturday, August 24th 9:00 - 4:00
September
Thursday, September 19th 9:00 - 4:00
Friday, September 20th 9:00 - 4:00
Saturday, September 21st 9:00 - 4:00
October
Thursday, October 10th 9:00 - 4:00
Friday, October 11th 9:00 - 4:00
Saturday, October 12th 9:00 - 4:00
