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May 9, 2019
It's retirement time
Dear customers,
It is with mixed feelings that we have decided it is time to retire our nursery. It has been a wonderful and fulfilling 36 years but it is now time to smell our own roses/phloxes.
When we started our business decades ago, landscaping with native plants was becoming popular but procuring plants that hadn't been dug from the wild was challenging. It was at this time that friend and mentor, Harry Phillips from the North Carolina Botanical Garden, wrote his classic book, Growing and Propagating Wild Flowers. He coined the phrase, "conservation through propagation", and the movement took off. We were one of the first nurseries to learn propagation techniques that can be so varied and difficult for native plants. We were determined to never EVER sell plants that had been wild collected. There are many that we still struggle with, and it just makes us appreciate them that much more in the wild.
Initially, propagation was our main issue: while encouraging the use and appreciation of native plants, how could we create inventory without taking them from the wild? But over the years, our issues evolved. From cultivated varieties versus strictly native species, to local versus any ecotype, to pesticide/neonic useage, and so on, the discussion has moved forward.
Now alarm bells are ringing. Our environment, the larger environment, is in a critical place. Because every action has a reaction. In our wonderful world, it has become impossible to ignore that the web of life; the interdependence and interrelationships of all psychological, biological, physical, social, and cultural phenomena everywhere, is threatened. We need thoughtful, rampant native plant landscaping. If only we were 20-something again!
But I digress. We are so grateful for our customers who have helped us ethically improve our local spheres no matter how small they may be. Please continue to garden conscientiously, carefully, and thoughtfully.
On July 1, 2019, our gates will close, and our website will go down. We will not be taking any new orders after June 10, and shipping will cease after the week of June 17. However, if you are in our area, you may want to visit the nursery before July 1 as we want to “relocate” as many plants as possible.
We have truly enjoyed growing great plants for you and sharing in your enthusiasm. We have appreciated every minute.
Best in gardening, Sunlight Gardens
