Bona Terra Seedling Tray Plant Grant
Bona Terra is granting seedlings of native plants to local groups and organizations. Our goal is to grant 1,000,000 seedlings to groups in our area throughout 2023, and we have already granted over 60,000 plants. We are offering over 60 native plant species, 15 of which are local ecotypes from within 100 miles of our nursery. These seeded containers can either be immediately transferred into the ground or the seedlings can be divided and potted into containers as they grow in. The Bona Terra Plant Grant offers a workshop on plant division and guides for soil recipes, care and maintenance, seed collection, and seed stratification for grantees. Applications for the Plant Grant are accepted on a rolling basis, and grantees may request as many or as few seeded quarts as they find necessary to fit their garden space or planting needs.
The Plant Grant is open to not-for-profit groups, garden clubs, schools and any group of people that have a goal of putting native plants into the ground. Applicants must be within 100 miles of DC. We encourage neighborhood gardens, church groups, schools, and restoration groups to apply. Experience with seedling division and plant maintenance is not necessary but will increase the likelihood of being granted all requested plants.
We want native plants to be accessible to as many people as possible to help support our imperiled ecosystem. We are granting seedling quarts because our ecosystems are in crisis and returning native plants to their rightful place in our ecosystems is the solution. To this end, the primary purpose of this grant is for your group or organization to put native plants in the ground. You may have secondary goals for the granted plants, but please keep with the spirit of the program and give these plants away whenever possible. Plants given to people outside of your organization must be accompanied with species-specific notes and information about Bona Terra. We discourage the selling of these granted plants.
Check out our Seedling Division Guide! We will be adding photos and instructional videos soon!
Check out the list of plant species in seedling trays we have available:
Local Ecotypes
| Scientific Name | Common Name | Approx. Number of Seedlings Per Seeded Quart | Number of Seeded Quarts Available | Projected Pick-up Window |
| Achillea millefolium | Yarrow | 225 | 145 | June-Sept |
| Ageratina altissima | White Snakeroot | 225 | 9 | June-Sept |
| Asclepias syriaca | Common Milkweed | 100 | 20 | June-Sept |
| Cephalanthus occidentalis | Buttonbush | 25 | 8 | July-Oct |
| Conoclinium coelestinum | Blue Mistflower | 100 | 5 | June-Sept |
| Euthamia graminifolia | Flat-top Goldenrod | 75 | 13 | June-Sept |
| Eutrochium fistulosum | Hollow Joe-Pye Weed | 200 | 20 | May-June |
| Eutrochium maculatum | Spotted Joe-Pye Weed | 200 | 20 | May-June |
| Hypericum prolificum | Shrubby St. John’s Wort | 50 | 16 | July-Oct |
| Hypericum punctatum | Spotted St. John’s Wort | 200 | 10 | May-Sept |
| Rhus typhina | Staghorn Sumac | 25 | 30 | July-Oct |
| Solidago juncea | Early Goldenrod | 300 | 500 | June-Sept |
| Solidago rugosa | Wrinkleleaf Goldenrod | 200 | 10 | June-Sept |
| Symphyotrichum ericoides | Calico Aster | 200 | 5 | June-Sept |
| Vernonia noveboracensis | New York Ironweed | 50 | 20 | June-July |
Non-Local Ecotypes
| Scientific Name | Common Name | Approx. Number of Seedlings Per Seeded Quart | Number of Seeded Quarts Available | Projected Pick-up Window |
| Andropogon gerardii | Big Bluestem | 100 | 20 | July-Sept |
| Aquilegia canadensis | Red Columbine | 100 | 30 | July-Sept |
| Asclepias incarnata | Swamp Milkweed | 100 | 817 | July-Aug |
| Asclepias syriaca | Common Milkweed | 150 | 746 | July-Aug |
| Asclepias tuberosa | Butterfly Milkweed | 100 | 342 | July-Aug |
| Blephilia hirsuta | Hairy Wood Mint | 100 | 5 | June-Sept |
| Boltonia asteroides | False Aster/ Susquehanna Dolls Daisy | 80 | 37 | June-Sept |
| Chrysopsis mariana | Maryland Golden Aster | 125 | 40 | June-Sept |
| Coreopsis lanceolata | Lance-leaved Coreopsis | 150 | 1000 | May-Sept |
| Coreopsis tripteris | Tall Coreopsis | 100 | 25 | June-Oct |
| Eragrostis spectabilis | Purple Lovegrass | 50 | 20 | July-Aug |
| Heliopsis helianthoides | False Sunflower | 100 | 50 | June-Sept |
| Hibiscus moscheutos | Swamp Rose Mallow | 50 | 12 | July-Oct |
| Hypericum pyramidatum | Tall St. John’s Wort | 200 | 500 | June-Aug |
| Ilex verticillata | Winterberry | 50 | 300 | July-Oct 2024 |
| Lobelia cardinalis | Cardinal Flower | 200 | 25 | June-Sept |
| Oligoneuron rigidum | Stiff Goldenrod | 200 | 1000 | June-Sept |
| Penstemon digitalis | Foxglove Beardtongue | 200 | 2500 | June-Oct |
| Penstemon hirsutus | Hairy Beardtongue | 200 | 30 | June-Oct |
| Rhododendron periclymenoides | Pinxter Azalea | 50 | 10 | June-Oct 2024 |
| Rudbeckia fulgida | Orange Coneflower | 75 | 100 | June-Sept |
| Rudbeckia laciniata | Cutleaf Coneflower | 75 | 333 | June-Sept |
| Rudbeckia triloba | Brown-eyed Susan | 75 | 100 | June-Sept |
| Schizachyrium scoparium | Little Bluestem | 200 | 100 | July-Aug |
| Solidago gigantea | Giant Goldenrod | 150 | 50 | June-Sept |
| Solidago juncea | Early Goldenrod | 150 | 50 | June-Sept |
| Solidago odora | Anisescented Goldenrod | 150 | 1000 | June-Sept |
| Solidago rugosa | Wrinkleleaf Goldenrod | 150 | 50 | June-Sept |
| Solidago speciosa | Showy Goldenrod | 50 | 1400 | June-Sept |
| Solidago uliginosa | Bog Goldenrod | 150 | 50 | June-Sept |
| Spiraea alba | White Meadowsweet | 75 | 30 | July-Oct |
| Spiraea tomentosa | Steeplebush | 75 | 30 | July-Oct |
| Symphyotrichum novae-angliae | New England Aster | 125 | 40 | June-Sept |
| Verbena stricta | Hoary Vervain | 50 | 10 | June-Sept |
| Vernonia gigantea | Giant Ironweed | 25 | 8 | June-Sept |
| Tridens flavus | Purpletop | 150 | 8 | Aug-Oct |
| Yucca filamentosa | Adam’s Needle | 125 | 24 | July-Oct |
Approval of this grant does not guarantee any specific species or number of plants on these lists. We will do our best to match your group with the best plants for your situation.
