Free Plants!
Cedar Rapids Iowa City Wild Ones hosts Seed Sharing events throughout the year. During these events, you can gather seeds from our seed bank and trade with others in your community who are doing the same. This is a great way to add native plants to your yard without needing to spend money, and you can meet other Wild Ones members at the same time!
You can also join local Facebook groups where people often share and trade plants year round. Some popular ones in our area include:
- Cedar Rapids Native Plant Gardeners
- IC Native-Plant Gardeners and Enthusiasts
- Wild Ones Cedar Rapids & Iowa City (members only)
Buying Plants and Seed
However, if you really want to plant a large area quickly, buying seeds and plants locally from retailers is often a good choice too. We have a list of native plant sellers and growers below. If you know of a store which should be included here, let us know! Email us at [email protected]
Iowa
Linn and Johnson County:
Living Apothecary – Cedar Rapids, IA.
Selling medicinal herbs and Iowa natives throughout the Midwest. https://www.facebook.com/living.apothecary.2025
Forever Green – Coralville, IA.
Local Plant nursery which carries some native plants but not exclusively native plants. https://forevergreengrows.com/
⭐️ Troutleaf Native Plants – Iowa City, IA.
Native specialists with some local ecotype plants. Max and Dominic have been very involved in the community and have donated to our seed bank in the past. Keep an eye out for their plant sales! https://troutleafnativeplants.wordpress.com
Rhubarb Botanicals – Mount Vernon, IA.
Native plant sales in May https://rhubarbbotanicals.com/
The other 97 counties:
Iowa DNR State Forest Nursery – Ames, IA.
The Iowa DNR runs a nursery growing bare root trees and bushes in bundles of 25+ for around $1 per tree. This is a great way to fill a large area or to create a hedgerow. https://nursery.iowadnr.gov/
Native Impact – Ames, IA.
Native plant nursery. Order online and pick up in person or meet up at a native plant sale! https://nativeimpactiowa.com/
Blooming Prairie Nursery – Carlisle, IA.
Native plant nursery and landscaping installation https://www.bloomingprairieiowa.com/
Pocket Prairies of Des Moines – Des Moines, IA.
Watch for plant sale announcements in the Des Moines area https://www.instagram.com/pocketprairiesdsm/
Sweet Green Arbor and Native Plants – Fairfield, IA.
Native plant nursery and arborist. https://www.facebook.com/FairfieldNativePlants
Native Legacy Nursery – Grimes, IA.
Native plant nursery, landscape planning, and tree trimming https://native-legacy-tree-perennial-nursery.myshopify.com/
Ion Exchange, Inc. – Harper’s Ferry, IA https://ionxchange.com/
Hoksey Native Seeds – Lynnville, IA.
Native seed nursery, prairie seed mixes, CRP, and cover crops https://hokseynativeseeds.com/
Plant Iowa LLC – Madrid, IA.
Horticulturist out of Des Moines Area Community College specializing in Iowa native trees, shrubs, and prairie perennials. I grow all of my plants from natural remnants. https://www.plantiowa.org/
Siouxland Prairie Farms – Sioux County, IA.
Native plant nursery, goats. Watch for plant sales! https://siouxlandprairiefarms.com/
Allendan Seed Company – Winterset, IA.
Native plant and seed nursery, CRP, and plugs. https://www.allendanseed.com/
Habitat Restoration and Native Landscapers
⭐️ Sustainable Landscape Solutions – Iowa City, IA.
Native landscaping, habitat restoration, arborist services, rain garden installation and more. SLS services the Cedar Rapids Iowa City corridor. The team at SLS has been very involved in the local native plant movement and has donated plant and materials to our chapter. https://sustainablelandscapesolutions.org/
Compass Ecological – Des Moines, IA.
Native Landscaping and Conservation in the Des Moines Area and Beyond. Invasive species removal. https://www.compassecological.com
Prairie Fire Restoration – Des Moines, IA.
Environmental restoration. Specializes in the elimination of invasive plant species, removal of refuse, and the restoration of environmental health in public and private spaces. https://www.prairiefirerestorationllc.com/
Pizzo Habitat Restoration – Leland, IL.
Habitat restoration services with locations around the Midwest. https://habitatrestoration.com/
Illinois
Possibility Place – Monee, IL.
Native plant nursery, online and in person https://possibilityplace.com/
Minnesota
Blazing Star Gardens – Albert Lea, MN.
Native plant nursery, order online or at Twin Cities plant sales! Blazing Star Gardens also has many how-to guides which can be helpful for planning. https://www.blazingstargardens.com/
Morning Sky Greenery – Morris, MN.
Native plant nursery shop online or at the nursery by appointment https://www.morningskygreenery.com/
Prairie Moon Nursery – Winona, MN.
One of the largest native plant nurseries in the Midwest. Huge selection of seeds, plants, and guides. We use Prairie Moon’s stratification code system in our seed library. https://www.prairiemoon.com/
Missouri
Missouri Wildflower Nursery – Jefferson City, MO. Native plant nursery. Shop online or in person https://mowildflowers.net/
Nebraska
Midwest Natives Nursery – Lincoln, NE.
Native plant nursery with in person and online shopping. https://www.midwestnativesnursery.com/
Bumbling Bee Native Wildflowers – Omaha, NE.
Plant nursery selling in the Omaha area. Keep an eye out for plant sales! https://bumblingbeenativewildflowers.com/
Wisconsin
The Wisconsin DNR has a comprehensive list of all of the native plant retailers in the state here! We are slowly getting them added to this page. That page also has lists of plant sales in the state and tons of other great resources.
Prairie Fairy Native Plants – Madison, WI.
Native plant nursery. Sales at farmers markets in the Madison area. https://www.prairiefairymadison.com/
Sprig Native Plant Nursery – Madison, WI.
Native Plant nursery in Madison with a large selection Online only. https://sprignativenursery.com/
Tend Native Plants – Blue Mounds, WI. Native plant nursery near Madison. Large selection of native plants. https://tendnativeplants.com/
Two Ferns Native Nursery – Madison, WI.
Native plant nursery selling plants, kits, and bare root trees and shrubs in the Madison area. Visit greenhouse by appointment. https://www.twofernsmadison.com/
Pretty Wild Nursery – Milwaukee, WI.
New native plant nursery spring 2026 https://prettywildnursery.com/password
Prairie Nursery – Westfield, WI.
Large native plant nursery. Huge selection of plants, plug, seeds, and seed mixes. Online sales only. https://www.prairienursery.com/
Plant Sales
⭐️ Johnson County Conservation – Johnson County, IA.
Spring native plant sales. https://www.facebook.com/johnsoncountyconservation/events
Noelridge Greenhouse native plant sale – Linn County, IA.
Spring native plant sales. https://www.cedar-rapids.org/residents/parks_and_recreation/noelridge_greenhouse.php
⭐️ Indian Creek Nature Center – Linn County, IA. Native plant sales in May. ICNC also hosts many events thorough the year showcasing native plants in their greenhouse and they have prairie seed collection events in the fall. https://indiancreeknaturecenter.org/
Friends of Warren County Conservation Spring Plant Sale – Warren County, IA. May native plant sales. https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100094361054345&sk=events
Guardians of the Prairie and Forest Spring Plant Sale – Rock Island, IL. Spring native plant sales. https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100067477995436&sk=events
Rock Island County Soil and Water Conservation District – Rock Island, IL. Spring native plant sales. https://rockislandswcd.org/shop/