Sam’s Native Nursery and Restoration Services

Sam’s Native Nursery and Restoration Services A small scale operation dedicated to conservation through cultivation. Specializing in native plants.

We are loaded for tomorrow’s Alton Farmers' & Artisans' Market!!We will have some old favorites returning for this marke...
06/05/2026

We are loaded for tomorrow’s Alton Farmers' & Artisans' Market!!

We will have some old favorites returning for this market. Rock pink (Phemeranthus calycinus) in particular! Rock pink is an amazing perennial succulent that is amazing for containers and rock gardens. It pairs well with widows cross and prickly pear.

Remember, just because it’s too late to plant tomatoes does not mean it’s too late to plant perennials! Native plants can be planted anytime of year as long as they’re watered well when establishing.

Here are some cool photos as well. You know where to find us! See you there from 8am-12pm! Happy gardening!

Prairie blazing star (Liatris pycnostachya) is a towering, alien looking prairie plant that is native to tall grass prai...
06/03/2026

Prairie blazing star (Liatris pycnostachya) is a towering, alien looking prairie plant that is native to tall grass prairies in the Midwest. This extremely showy native perennial is long blooming and fantastic for pollinators!

Prairie blazing star gets 2-5 ft tall depending on the amount of water it gets throughout the growing season. In dry areas it tend to be shorter. This plant likes full sun to part sun and will usually bloom from July to September.

Prior to flowering, the slender, filiform leaves are extremely attractive and look like a bunch grass up until flowering. Most Liatris species are attractive year round. When is flower, prairie blazing star produces a tall spike of magenta flowers that can reach 20 inches long! These flowers are a favorite amount butterflies, especially monarchs during their migration south.

Seeds begin to form around a month after flowering in the fall. These seeds are a fan favorite of many song birds like gold finches. One plant can produce thousands of small, dandelion-like seeds that allow this plant to volunteer readily in ideal conditions.

Prairie blazing star is unique in that it produces a corn similar to elephant ears and dahlias. This makes them super easy to propagate and move as well. Corms are also readily available at most bulb suppliers.

Prairie blazingstar is just one member of one of my favorite groups of natives. The genus Liatris contains roughly 40 species and they’re all extremely showy! I urge everyone to look into getting Liatris species native to their area. They’re perfect for borders, prairie gardens, formal landscapes, and even cottage gardens!

I will have prairie blazingstar for sale Saturday at the Alton Farmers' & Artisans' Market from 8am-12pm. See you there!

Tomorrow is the opening day of the Jersey County Farmers & Artisan Market!! I will be set up with a good variety of nati...
06/01/2026

Tomorrow is the opening day of the Jersey County Farmers & Artisan Market!! I will be set up with a good variety of native perennials and native shrubs! If you’re in the area, please stop by! It is going to be a beautiful day.

The Jersey County Farmers market runs from 4pm-7pm between the DQ and Germania Brewhaus. I only plan to set up opening day, however, I may make it a weekly thing if we make a super busy opening day! See you all there!

The beginning of June inventory list is out! Reserve your plants before they sell! Next inventory list will be available...
06/01/2026

The beginning of June inventory list is out! Reserve your plants before they sell! Next inventory list will be available after June 15th.

Happy planting!!

We are loaded for tomorrow’s Alton Farmers' & Artisans' Market!! Come see us from 8am to 12 pm.As spring morphs into sum...
05/29/2026

We are loaded for tomorrow’s Alton Farmers' & Artisans' Market!! Come see us from 8am to 12 pm.

As spring morphs into summer, the native plants are just now starting to hit their stride. However, that doesn’t mean planting stops! Native perennials can be planted with varying degrees of care depending on the time of year. In most cases, all native plants need is some water during their first few weeks in the ground and that’s it. No need for any extra care unless absolutely necessary.

Happy planting guys, see you all tomorrow!!

Tomorrow I, and many other great people will be attending Metro East Humane Society’s open house from 5-7pm in Edwardsvi...
05/26/2026

Tomorrow I, and many other great people will be attending Metro East Humane Society’s open house from 5-7pm in Edwardsville, IL to showcase their newly installed native plant garden! It features 36 different native plant species. This will provide food and shelter for all forms of wildlife that come to visit. I am very excited to show off all the hard work that was put into this. It’s a good opportunity to learn a thing or two about designing a native landscape.

This event is meant to showcase new additions at MEHS Edwardsville location like the newly remodeled kennels. It is also a good opportunity to donate to their amazing cause. If you have any extra pet food, toys, etc. Consider this opportunity to make a donation!

If you love animals, or native plants, or both, come on down tomorrow if you can. It’s going to be a fun evening!

Event link in comments

Tomorrow! I return to the Alton Farmers' & Artisans' Market with a huge variety of native plants! I will have favorites ...
05/22/2026

Tomorrow! I return to the Alton Farmers' & Artisans' Market with a huge variety of native plants! I will have favorites like butterfly milkweed and purple beardtongue this week. We will have 34 species of native plants with us. We hope to see you all there! It’s going to be a beautiful day!

Spiderwort (Tradescantia ohiensis) is a native member of the day flower family. It is a very tough plant. It can thrive ...
05/20/2026

Spiderwort (Tradescantia ohiensis) is a native member of the day flower family. It is a very tough plant. It can thrive in both extremely dry and very wet soils. It can also take a surprising amount of shade as well.

Spiderwort gets 2-3 ft tall and around a 2 ft wide. It can be found naturally in any spot where there’s ample sunlight and it isn’t too wet.

Starting in late spring, spiderwort will bloom with gorgeous, three petaled blue flowers. All the way until July in some cases. The blooms on spiderwort open in the early morning and shrivel up completely around the early afternoon. However, when it is overcast, the flowers will last all day. Bumblebees absolutely love the flowers of this plant

After flowering, spiderwort will go into a semi-dormant state. Only pushing out grass like leaves as the flowering stalks start to shrivel. Simultaneously, it will be dropping seeds all over the place.

Spiderwort is a very very prolific when it comes to self seeding. In a formal landscape, this plant will easily take over. To remedy this you may clip the flower heads once the plant stops flowering. This will also encourage more flowers. Personally, I let them run wild. The perfect blue flowers are just too beautiful to beat.

I will have spiderwort, as well as many other amazing native plants for sale this Saturday at the Alton Farmers' & Artisans' Market from 8am to noon. Hope to see you there!

The mid-May inventory list is out now! DM me or see the link in the comments of this post for the full PDF list. Things ...
05/18/2026

The mid-May inventory list is out now! DM me or see the link in the comments of this post for the full PDF list. Things are finally starting to hit their stride! More plants coming beginning of June!

Blooming now! Beardtongues (Penstemon) are blooming now in full force! Beardtongues are named as such due to having a ce...
05/18/2026

Blooming now! Beardtongues (Penstemon) are blooming now in full force!

Beardtongues are named as such due to having a central sterile column known as the staminode. This structure is often covered in hairs, thus the name beardtongue. Beardtongues are also in the plantain family, meaning they’re related to plantain, foxgloves, and speedwell. There are 280 species in the genus Penstemon that occur in North America. Most of them occur in the western half of the country, but Illinois is fortunate to be home to 12 of them. Pictured are the 5 I grow:

(1, 2 & 7) Foxglove Beardtongue (Penstemon digitalis). The most common and widespread species of beardtongue. Commonly found on roadsides and prairie.

(3) Calico Beardtongue (Penstemon calycosus). Is very similar to foxglove beardtongue except it has pink flowers. This species is more common in the eastern half of the state where it inhabits woodland edges.

(4) Purple Beardtongue (Penstemon cobaea). This species is possibly the most grand of all penstemon species. The flower is very large and can be anywhere from deep purple to a light pink. This species is more common in glades and the Great Plains. Most of the populations in IL are probably escapees from cultivation. Hummingbirds love this plant, like all beardtongues.

(5) Pale Beardtongue (Penstemon pallidus). This is the earliest blooming penstemon species that I know of. Pale beardtongue starts blooming in mid April and is still blooming today. It’s also much shorter topping out at 1 ft in height. It is native to dry prairies and upland woods.

(6) Hairy Beardtongue (Penstemon hirsutus). Is much like pale beardtongue except it blooms much later where I live. The flowers are also very unique. They’re pink with a flatter flower. This species is more common up north, where it also grows in dry prairies and upland woods.

Beardtongues are awesome!

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Grafton, IL
62037

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+16184948391

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