Three-fer markets this weekend! Many new species available!

By Lise Fracalossi

Groton, Leominster, and Lunenburg Markets this weekend!

It’s gonna be a busy weekend for us, with three markets! That means three opportunities to bring native plants into your garden!

Tomorrow (Friday) 8/1/2025 you can find us at the Groton Farmers Market from 3-7pm! We’ll be joined by Mystic Meadows, another native plant nursery based out of Pepperell. This takes place at the Williams Barn property at 160 Chicopee Row, Groton, MA.

Saturday 8/2/2025 will be our usual Leominster Farmers’ Market, in Monument Square in Leominster, MA. To avoid a conflict with the Italian festival, it will take place from 10am - 1pm this month. (Usual time 11-2).

And Sunday, 8/3/2025, we plan to return to the Lunenburg Artisan Market. That will be from 9am to 2pm at the Montuori Fleamarket (186 Massachusetts Ave, Lunenburg, MA). Come shop for plants AND creations from local artisans!

We have lovely annual partridge pea (Chamaecrista fasciculata) in bloom right now (see: featured image), so expect plenty of that! We’ll also have our usual blend of native annuals and perennials – expect an update when we know exactly what we’re bringing.

For our full inventory, see our Buy Plants page. Note that you can always email me at lise AT redtrilliumgardens DOT com to reserve plants for pickup at the market.

See you there!

New species

With more markets comes more species! Some of these are new to us entirely, while others are simply available for the first time this year.

Of course, the full list is on our Buy Plants page, but a few of note:

New to Us

These are plants we’ve never grown before and don’t quite know what to expect! Some were chosen based on requests from last year, i.e. obedient plant (Physostegia virginiana).

  • Wild senna (Senna hebecarpa). As in the senna that is used for constipation! (It’s either the same species or the same genus, but do not take this as medical or edibility advice). As a member of the bean family, this produces a cool-looking seed pod in fall. In midsummer, however – that is, soon! – it will produce a bright yellow flower. This is an herbaceous perennial that prefers average or damp soils and thrives in full to partial sun. Even better, these seeds were collected locally, meaning they have a local ecotype, especially adapted to the conditions of north central MA.
  • White turtlehead (Chelone glabra). This produces an interesting white flower in late summer/early fall – hence the name, as it looks like a turtle emerging from its shell. This herbaceous perennial prefers full sun in wetter soil conditions.

Now in stock

In addition, we have some old favorites returning for the first time this season:

  • New England aster (Symphyotrichum novae-angliae). My favorite aster! This tall (up to 7’) herbaceous perennial produces vibrant purple flowers from late summer into fall. It looks beautiful paired with goldenrod! It prefers full to partial sun, and thrives in all but the driest conditions.
  • Red columbine (Aquilegia canadensis). This versatile perennial thrives in full sun to full shade in average to dry soils. It produces exquisite red and yellow flowers in spring that attract hummingbirds to your yard!