Vitalbeebuds Native Plant Nursery Gardnerville, Northern Nevada, USA
Dream it.
It all begins with an idea or a function.
Watch where humans and animals mat the ground …those can be new pathways. Go with the flow!
See it.
Or a vision in your mind.
Think of the purpose and function of a garden space that will also complement a pollinator habitat. Always soil first and no need to amend!
Grow it.
And it makes everything better for the bees.
Although we can always include must-have plants, please know native pollinator plants can live on less water/lean soil and are the most efficient 2/3 thirds of what pollinates our harvests.
Need more fruit? Need more vegetables? Need more color?
We worry about the Earth, and our environment, and how we can help. We also want a rockin’ garden that lifts our spirits.
Bees and pollinators are critical, and having them around the garden increases the output of fruit and vegetables…which is a great thing.
VitalBeeBuds put the decades of growing experience in the high desert climate to use, and searched high and low for the best plants for pollinators that are easy to grow, lovely to look at, and powerful friends for your yard that rid unwanted pests by extending the ecosystem’s food chain.
We built an autonomous solar-powered greenhouse, with a climate battery built in to increase our ability to grow through the winter and get good strong spring starts entirely off-the-grid. We mix our own soil, compost, and the containers are multiple use collected-at-farmers-markets, ecofriendly, and clean. Plants are potted up after seed, cutting, or division propagation.
Bumble Bees, finches, and many other native species love sunflowers.
Current Plant List
********Plant list updated March 30, 2024********
Plants are identified most accurately with the corresponding Latin or Botanical reference alongside common name(s) in parenthesis. Multiple varieties are separated here by a “|”
Always search the botanical name and follow care instructions to avoid heartache, loss of funds and time! To get started visit the care page here for how to grow drought tolerant plants.
Currently, more native forbs have been wintered sowed (a few have started to sprout!!!): Arrowleaf Balsamroot, Globemallows, Native grasses (Blue Grama and Indian Ricegrass), Salvia Dorii, Penstemon Rydberg’s, Pseudospectabilis.
Please reach out to reserve your favorites on the waitlist via email or DM.
Herbs | Medicinal
Chamomile, Chives (common) or (garlic), Chrysanthemum parthenium 'Aureum' (Feverfew), Comfrey, Hyssop Officinalis, Lavendula Augustafolia or Intermedia 'Grosso' | 'Vera', Melissa Officinalis (Lemon Balm), Peppermint, Mentha arvensis (wild mint), Monarda (Wild Bergamot-pink), Nepeta Racemosa (Catmint - pink, purple), Oregano, Rosemary 'Arp', Sage (Common), Thymus x citriodorus (Lemon Thyme), Stachys byzantina (Lambs ear)Annuals | Biennials
Borago officinalis (Borage), Calendula officinalis (Calendula), Eschscholzia California (California Poppy), Sunflowers Perennials
Ajuga ‘Mahogany’ | 'Chocolate Chip', Agastache ‘Golden Jubilee' | 'Globetrotter' | 'Tango', Asclepias tuberosa 'Hello Yellow' (Milkweed), Aster 'New York' (purple), Echinacea Coneflower (pink), Gaura 'Lindheimeri' (white) (pink), Lamium 'Jenny' (white) | 'Purple Dragon', Nepeta Racemosa (Catmint) 'Walker's Low' | 'Whisper Pink', Scabiosa columbaria 'Butterfly Blue' (Pincushion Flower), Sedum (pink), Rudbeckia 'Deamii', Solidago rugosa 'Fireworks' (Goldenrod), Veronica (pink)Native Forbs (Perennials)
Achillea millefolium (Yarrow -white), Artemisia tridentata 'Big Sagebrush', Asclepias fascicularis 'Narrowleaf Milkweed', Asclepias speciosa 'Showy Milkweed', Symphyotrichum chilense (California, Pacific or Western Aster), Columbine (orange, red, purple), Denothera biennis (Common Evening Primrose), Eriophyllum lanthanum (Oregon sunshine, Woolly Sunflower), Gaillardia (Indian Blanket, Blanket Flower), Helianthus Maximiliana (Maximilian Sunflower), Hyssop officinalis (purple or pink), Globemallow (orange), Oenethera speciosa (Evening Primrose -pink), Oenothera flava (Evening Primrose - yellow), Penstemons: 'Confertus' (yellow)| 'Cyananthus' (Wasatch- blue) | 'Digitalis' (Husker Red - white) | 'Palmerii' (light pink)| 'Pseudospectabilis' (fuschia)| 'Newburyii' (magenta)| 'Strictus' (Rocky Mountain -purple) | Eatonii (Firecracker -red), Leucanthemum vulgare (Oxeye Daisy), Ratibida columnifera (Mexican Hat- yellow or red), Solidago canadensis (Canada Goldenrod)Natives Grasses
Deschampsia caespitosa, Festuca idahoensis 'Siskiyou Blue', Great Basin Wildrye, Indian Ricegrass, Sandberg BluegrassShrubs | Sub-shrubs
Artemisia tridentata (Big Sagebrush), Spirea ‘Dark Knight’ or ‘Blue Mist’, Ribes aureum (Golden Currant), Rosa woodsii (Western Wild Rose) 
Pollinator plot projects are bulk discounted
15% when 5 or more Medium or Large plants are purchased.
Immediately above is a hyperlink to Xerces (an invertebrate non-profit). A wonderful resource to help to plan your site. Alternatively, I consult for a very reasonable fee and would be honored to place plants into your space. Email when ready to ask questions or to schedule a pollinator project. See easy drought tolerant perennial care tips on the Care page.Email or DM to reserve plants for farmers market
pickup and/or schedule drop off/pick up.
To view pollinators in action…visit or follow biweekly outreach posts and stories @vitalbeebuds
