New Native Plant Nursery

Nicole has a degree in Biology, 15 years of experience in botany and horticulture and is a former Norfolk Master Gardener. She is active in the Lafayette Wetlands Partnership as a Co-leader with John Stewart for the Granby Willow Wood Park Shoreline Restoration Project. She also served two seasons as a botany field assistant for the DCR (Department of Conservation and Recreation) Virginia Natural Heritage Program compiling the Virginia Rare (Native) Plant Inventory. She brings firsthand knowledge of the optimal growing environment for our natives and offers customers guidance on which plants are appropriate to their specific site.

Nicole has lived in Norfolk for the past 25 years and her large home garden in the Norview neighborhood began overflowing with native plants. She and her husband recently bought seven acres on the Eastern Shore with roughly five acres previously cleared from the prior owner’s agricultural food crop. This purchase provided the space needed to create a native plant farm for her second act in life. She originally planned to sell her inventory at home shows and possibly provide them to wholesale nurseries. Then a little bird (Kate M) told her that there was retail space available in Norfolk. It was the perfect site for Lady Fern’s Native Plants – a new and much needed addition to the small number of plant venues in our area dedicated to providing quality and reasonably priced plants for all of our pollinators.  

In the spirit of conservation whenever possible, plants are watered using the 3-4 large tanks of the store’s rain water catchment system. There are plans to add more tanks and install a solar array to power a pump for all irrigation. The whole system will be behind plexiglass - a great way to provoke questions and provide an opportunity to educate.