Bringing native plants back to local landscapes: Derby Canyon Natives opens for Spring retail

PESHASTIN — For over 25 years, the Derby Canyon Natives has been a source of Central Washington native wildflowers, grasses, shrubs and trees for home gardens and large-scale properties.

The native plant nursery grows over 120 species for both landscaping and restoration projects, producing approximately 150,000 plants per year. The plants are grown from seeds and cuttings that are collected from native species across the region, which varies from shrubsteppe in Wenatchee, to forest and riparian zones up to Stevens Pass.

“The diversity of it, I think, has been really one of the coolest things to encounter. I’m always amazed at how many different unique plant communities there are in this general area. It's pretty fun to get out and explore,” said Owner Mel Asher.

While readily available seeds for popular ornamentals are cleaned, tested, and often genetically modified, seeds for native plants are everything but. Throughout the year, Asher collects seeds from wild growing plants, keeping a spreadsheet of when to source different seeds and where.

For instance, she may collect Tweedy’s lewisia wildflower seeds in June, and pine cones in August, but she also needs a broad collection area. To minimize her impact, Asher doesn’t take more than 10 percent of the seed produced in a given area. She also aims to collect seeds from 30 to 40 individual plants for genetic diversity. To make matters more complicated, the viability of the seeds are also at the whim of pollinator activity, which can slow in severe weather, such as a cold and wet, or a hot and dry spring.

“It's unique in that, and it's also kind of challenging sometimes, just because you don't always know how good the seed will be in a given year. Some years it's great, and some years it's horrible. So we're a little bit at the whim of mother nature and our collecting practices,” said Asher.

While the process is challenging, the results are rewarding, as native plants can create a more diverse and resilient ecosystem. The plants are naturally acclimated to the region’s conditions, and they support native pollinators. 

“I think the greatest benefit is having a landscape that is at one with nature and not a fight against nature, you know, blending in with the natural surroundings and providing habitat for local wildlife,” said Asher.

Derby Canyon Natives was founded by entomologist and orchardist Ted Alway, who slowly converted parts of his orchard into the four-acre nursery that stands today. After 20 years of operation, Alway passed the torch to Asher, who took on ownership in January 2022. 

Prior to taking over Derby Canyon Natives, Asher worked at a native plant nursery in Michigan, ran a greenhouse study as a graduate student, and worked in native plant restoration at BFI Native Seeds.

“I took my first field botany class in college, and was just so excited about learning about native plants, and how they grew, why they grew where they did. [I] just was absolutely fascinated…So my entire career has been focused on native plants,” said Asher.

The nursery reopened for retail sales on April 4. The hours of operation are Fridays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Taylor Caldwell: 509-433-7276 or taylor@ward.media