Plant Grant

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 NameCommon NameApprox. Number of Seedlings Per Seeded QuartNumber of Seeded Quarts AvailableProjected Pick-up Window
Achillea millefoliumYarrow225145June-Sept
Ageratina altissimaWhite Snakeroot2259June-Sept
Asclepias syriacaCommon Milkweed10020June-Sept
Cephalanthus occidentalisButtonbush258July-Oct
Conoclinium coelestinumBlue Mistflower1005June-Sept
Euthamia graminifoliaFlat-top Goldenrod7513June-Sept
Eutrochium fistulosumHollow Joe-Pye Weed20020May-June
Eutrochium maculatumSpotted Joe-Pye Weed20020May-June
Hypericum prolificumShrubby St. John’s Wort5016July-Oct
Hypericum punctatumSpotted St. John’s Wort20010May-Sept
Rhus typhinaStaghorn Sumac2530July-Oct
Solidago junceaEarly Goldenrod300500June-Sept
Solidago rugosaWrinkleleaf Goldenrod20010June-Sept
Symphyotrichum ericoidesCalico Aster2005June-Sept
Vernonia noveboracensisNew York Ironweed5020June-July

Non-Local Ecotypes

Scientific NameCommon NameApprox. Number of Seedlings Per Seeded QuartNumber of Seeded Quarts AvailableProjected Pick-up Window
Andropogon gerardiiBig Bluestem10020July-Sept
Aquilegia canadensisRed Columbine10030July-Sept
Asclepias incarnataSwamp Milkweed100817July-Aug
Asclepias syriacaCommon Milkweed150746July-Aug
Asclepias tuberosaButterfly Milkweed100342July-Aug
Blephilia hirsutaHairy Wood Mint1005June-Sept
Boltonia asteroidesFalse Aster/
Susquehanna Dolls Daisy
8037June-Sept
Chrysopsis marianaMaryland Golden Aster12540June-Sept
Coreopsis lanceolataLance-leaved Coreopsis1501000May-Sept
Coreopsis tripterisTall Coreopsis10025June-Oct
Eragrostis spectabilisPurple Lovegrass5020July-Aug
Heliopsis helianthoidesFalse Sunflower10050June-Sept
Hibiscus moscheutosSwamp Rose Mallow5012July-Oct
Hypericum pyramidatumTall St. John’s Wort200500June-Aug
Ilex verticillataWinterberry50300July-Oct 2024
Lobelia cardinalisCardinal Flower20025June-Sept
Oligoneuron rigidumStiff Goldenrod2001000June-Sept
Penstemon digitalisFoxglove Beardtongue2002500June-Oct
Penstemon hirsutusHairy Beardtongue20030June-Oct
Rhododendron periclymenoidesPinxter Azalea5010June-Oct 2024
Rudbeckia fulgidaOrange Coneflower75100June-Sept
Rudbeckia laciniataCutleaf Coneflower75333June-Sept
Rudbeckia trilobaBrown-eyed Susan75100June-Sept
Schizachyrium scopariumLittle Bluestem200100July-Aug
Solidago giganteaGiant Goldenrod15050June-Sept
Solidago junceaEarly Goldenrod15050June-Sept
Solidago odoraAnisescented Goldenrod1501000June-Sept
Solidago rugosaWrinkleleaf Goldenrod15050June-Sept
Solidago speciosaShowy Goldenrod501400June-Sept
Solidago uliginosaBog Goldenrod15050June-Sept
Spiraea albaWhite Meadowsweet7530July-Oct
Spiraea tomentosaSteeplebush7530July-Oct
Symphyotrichum novae-angliaeNew England Aster12540June-Sept
Verbena strictaHoary Vervain5010June-Sept
Vernonia giganteaGiant Ironweed258June-Sept
Tridens flavusPurpletop1508Aug-Oct
Yucca filamentosaAdam’s Needle12524July-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.

Plant Grant Application Form

Point of Contact Information: This is one person in your organization who will be responsible for relaying questions to and from the group, coordinating plant pick-up, and returning the seedling trays.

If no one in your group has experience dividing and maintaining seedlings, you can still apply. We will be holding seedling dividing demonstrations in June and August.