Hidden Savanna Nursery

Our farm, for the most part, is an actively managed oak savanna/dry prairie restoration. Our property contains over 100 indigenous species, plus over 75 introduced native species propagated using seed from remnants in southwest Michigan. A small section of our property is set aside for germinating and rearing container plants, and we have two greenhouses located at the edge of our property.

Previous to our purchase, this 33 acre parcel was used for Christmas tree production. Conifers were cultivated on the parcel from at least the 1930s. Some grazing by horses and cattle also took place during the first half of the 20th century according to the accounts of long-time residents in the area.

I own the farm along with my wife Kristin. She graduated from Michigan State University with a BS in Nursing, and she is currently working in the PICU and Peds units at a large local hospital. I graduated from Michigan Technological University with a BS in Chemical Engineering, and spent ten years traveling around the country in the IT industry prior to establishing the nursery. We also have a toddler son whom you may see roaming around during your visit to our nursery.

Where our plants come from...

The plants we sell are propagated either from seed or, very rarely, from cuttings. All plants are raised and sold in containers (pots, plugs, etc.). The seeds we use originate from one of the following:

It was responsibily collected from wild populations in southwest Michigan.
It was harvested from indigenous populations on our property. This is essentially the same as #1.
It was collected from introduced populations on our property. These populations were established using wild collected seed or from plant rescues in southwest Michigan.
It was purchased from reputable nurseries that guarantee the genotype of their seed.

We prefer using the first three sources, but some species are rare in our area and, of course, Mother Nature is not always cooperative either.

We keep detailed records for all of the seed and plants we sell. All seed bags and containers are given an identification number immediately after the seed is acquired and collection/source information is also recorded in our database. This ID number is used from germination until sale to identify the plants. We also have detailed records for all of the species that are indigenous to our property and every species that was introduced. Please inquire if want further information on the source(s) of species you purchased or wish to purchase.

Our farm and nursery is very atypical from most conventional operations. Besides the nursery area, our farm is essentially a prairie and savanna restoration which we leverage for propagating material. We are continually striving to increase biodiversity and restore the farm to a landscape resembling that which occurred here prior to European settlement. Only organic pesticides are used in our nursery when severe infestations occur, but we make every attempt to minimize their use; our preference is to let nature maintain a balance between herbivores and their predators. Special care is taken to minimize the impact of the nursery on the fauna which resides in the landcape surrounding it.