I'll have to check these people out -- they are about an hour's south of here. From the Bellingham Herald:
Tribal nursery focuses on native Wash. plants
Banksavers Nursery is the state's only tribal-owned native plant nursery, and one of the few around that focuses solely on plants native to Western Washington.
Operated by the Stillaguamish Tribe of Indians, Banksavers evolved from educational and social efforts to engage tribal members in learning about native plants and their traditional uses. Then it became a program in which the tribe grew native plants for its own salmon habitat projects, establishing wetlands and forests to mitigate for the tribe's development in the county.
After other jurisdictions began contracting for Banksaver plants and landscaping services, the tribe decided to step out as a wholesale and retail operation.
A few years ago, the tribe bought a former alpaca farm north of Arlington and moved its greenhouses up from the tribe's property along the Stillaguamish River. The business is located at 25525 Dahl Road, which runs along the eastside of I-5 just south of the Stanwood exit.
The 135-acre farm overlooks the Pilchuck Creek canyon on one side. Banksavers has four large greenhouses, potting sheds, landscaping materials and equipment and acres of 63 species of native plants potted up in neat rows. At full capacity, the pesticide-free, organic nursery has space for a half million plants. The operation, which gives preference to tribal members, employs 14 people.
Stillaguamish tribal member Martin Allen has worked at the nursery for about four years.
"It's great to work for the tribe and great that the tribe owns this nursery," Allen said. "And sometimes the work is more than just work. It's heartfelt when we plant cedar trees."
Western red cedars are one of the most important plants to Coast Salish tribes, who depended on the trees for canoes, clothing, homes and spiritual uses.
Very cool -- they have a website here: Bank Savers Lulu and I spent the last summer redoing a lot of the landscaping around here as well as putting in a vegetable garden for the first time in five years. Now I know where to get native vegetation.
