Native Plants | Local Genetics | Sustainable Practices
Expert-grown natives and plant grants supporting local not-for-profit native planting projects
Swamp Milkweed (Asclepias incarnata) photographed by Andrew Cannizzaro, image licensed under CC BY 2.0
Mission statement: We grow native plants with a focus on the local genetics necessary to restore diversity in the Chesapeake eco-region.
Vision statement: Providing people and businesses the resources to preserve our at-risk habitats, to restore ecosystems, and to rethink environmental action on micro and macro levels.
Bona Terra a native plant microbusiness located in Indian Head, MD with an offie in Washington, DC consisting of one full-time nursery operator, one part-time office manager, and one part-time designer. We grow native plants with wild genetics with a focus on local ecotypes. Our nursery focuses on best environmental practices using organic and compost-based fertilizers and without the use of pesticides, herbicides, or growth hormones all in recycled pots.
Native Plant Sales
Our native plant nursery is carefully maintained by experts using sustainable practices. We focus on growing local ecotypes within 100 miles of our nursery in Charles County, Maryland using minimal fertilizer and no pesticides, herbicides or growth hormones.
We have native plants available for sale to homeowners, landscape professionals, and conservation and restoration non-profits. We offer delivery and pick-up on orders, either at our nursery in Indian Head, Maryland or at our office in DC. Our goal is to provide stewards of the Chesapeake Bay with native plants, whose lack of availability has historically been a challenge in conservation efforts. See our inventory by clicking below.
Bona Terra Hours
| Office Hours | Account management, billing questions, order processing, email responses | Thursdays and Fridays: 9 am – 5 pm |
| Nursery Pick-up | Picking up native plant orders, picking up seeded quarts for the Plant Grant | Weekends only: Call Jeremy at (703) 407-0718 to schedule an appointment |
| DC Pick-up | Picking up native plant orders | Wednesdays and Thursdays: contactless pick-up |
| Consultations | Over the phone with Jeremy, or Sarah (see our Remote Consultation Form) | Jeremy: Mondays through Fridays: 10 am to 2 pm Sarah: Mondays through Thursdays: 9 am to 2 pm |
| Inventory Questions | Over the phone with Jeremy about plant availability | Mondays through Fridays: 10 am to 2 pm |
Join the Bona Terra Mailing List!
Get updated about the Plant Grant Initiative, Seedling Giveaway events, plant sales and more! Just enter your email below!
Getting Started
Are you new to native plants and trying to decide how to get started? We have Resources and Guides to help you prep and plan your garden space, a Remote Design Service to help you choose which plants would work best for you, and Consultations to help answer your native garden questions.
Ready to place an order? Check out our online inventory, ordering procedures, and submit an order on our Plant Sales page.
Are you a restoration or conservation non-profit or landscape contractor looking for native plants to install? Check out our Contractors, Non-Profits, & Wholesale page.
Interested in starting your native plants from seed? Check out our seed availability and place an order on our Seed Sales page.
Are you a homeowner or group looking for native seedlings to plant or give out to your community? Check out our Plant Grant page to see our Seedling Inventory, learn about the seedling division process, and submit an application to receive free community pots of seedlings to divide and plant.
Check out what we’re up to, see what’s in bloom, and learn more about native plants and our growing practices by following us on social media.
Volunteer at Our Nursery
There are several ways for volunteers to get involved in Bona Terra’s mission of increasing native plant accessibility in the Washington DC region: we have Open Nursery Volunteer Days, Independent Volunteers, and volunteers for our Seedling Giveaway Events.
Use the link to the form below to learn more and to get started!
Apply for a Bona Terra Plant Grant
We are attempting to give over 1,000,000 seedlings of native plants to local groups and organizations! Check out our Plant Grant page for more information and to fill out an application form for your group. Help us meet our goal by applying for seedlings today!
Remote Ecosystem-First Design Form
Bona Terra is providing streamlined design services for small gardens up to 400 square feet without the expense of an on-site consultation. With this form, you will be guided through the steps of conducting your own pre-design survey in lieu of scheduling an on-site visit. We charge $1.16 per square-foot, with a minimum of $100.
This form also defines and contextualizes straight-forward approaches to creating low- to medium-maintenance garden styles to create natural biospheres in man-made ecosystems.
Visit our Remote Design page to fill out the form and submit it online, or download the form and email it to sarah@bonaterradc.com
Seedling Division Guide
This year we have been giving out seedlings both through our Individual and Group Plant Grants and at our Native Plant Giveaways and Remote Plant Sales. Need some more information about separating seedlings for planting or potting? Download our Seedling Division Guide below!
Our Bona Terra Soil Prep Guide
Are you prepping a garden, but don’t know where to start? Want to learn a little more about till and no-till methods with native plant gardens? Check out the Bona Terra Soil Prep Guide!
Or you can download and print the guide using the button below
Bona Terra, LLC
Email with order questions: bonaterra@bonaterradc.com
Call Jeremy with plant questions: (703) 407-0718
Bona Terra is a microbusiness native plant nursery featuring the largest selection of strictly native plants in the Washington, DC area.