I’m settling in to seed collection and cleaning season here at the nursery, an activity which has left my fingers stained blue and my eyes straining (those summersweet seeds are tiny, yo). Things feel a bit calmer than the height of the season, but it’s never too quiet around here… Help us grow taller! Help us serve you better! If you interacted with Red Trillium Gardens in 2025 – even if you didn’t make a purchase – we’d love feedback on your experience.

To the tune of Mr. Mister’s “Take These Broken Wings”: Take! These native plants and put them in your yard Let them grow so free (Good thing you didn’t have to hear me sing that). Anyway! Here at the nursery, we have hundreds of native perennials just waiting to be put in the ground. And tomorrow (Sunday), Oct 5, 2025, 10am-4pm, is our biggest sale of, maybe, ever? What will we have?

Fall Native Plant Sale Save the date! We’ll be doing our end of season native plant sale Sun, Oct 5th, 2025, from 10am-4pm in Lunenburg, MA. Anyone who attends will receive a $5 off coupon valid in 2026! What can you expect? Since this is a public event, please email me for the address, so I know you’re a real person and not an internet rando. This is a rain or shine event.

We’ll be at two markets this week, on Thursday and Saturday. Brookline Farmers’ Market The first is the Brookline Farmers’ Market on Thursday, September 4, 2025, from 1:30pm to 6:30pm in the Centre Street West Parking Lot. This is one of Grow Native Massachusetts’ pop-up markets, so I’ll be joined by Lady Fern Farm and Checkerspot Farm. We’re coordinating our inventory to bring you the widest variety of plants! Currently, here’s what I’m planning to bring:

What’s in Bloom at the Nursery? Mid- to late summer can be a questionable time in the garden, depending on how you’ve planted! There’s a tendency to avoid planting in the summer, thinking that plants won’t tolerate the heat. However, this can lead to a lull in color at this time of year – especially if one only buys plants that are blooming! Even we’ve got a bit of that going on right now!

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.

Groton Farmers’ Market Exciting news (well, to me!) – we’ll be vending at the Groton Farmers Market opening day this Fri, July 11th! We had to get approved by the town to vend here, so I’m very happy that we did, and I’m hoping it will be a positive experience. The market is from 3-7pm at the Williams Barn property (160 Chicopee Row) in Groton, MA. The Facebook event is here, and if you’re a Facebook user and would like to attend, I’d appreciate you marking yourself as “Interested.

We’ll be at the Leominster MA Farmers’ Market this Saturday, July 5th, 2025, from 11am to 2pm, in Monument Square, Leominster, MA. We’ll have several lovely annuals and biennials in bloom – all of which are new-this-year species for us! This includes: Pale corydalis (Corydalis sempervirens; biennial 1st year). This biennial offers delicate pale green foliage and small colorful pink and yellow flowers. Redwhisker Clammyweed (Polanisia dodecandra; annual). A great name for an interesting plant!

Hello, friends of native plants! – including a warm welcome to those who signed up for the newsletter at the Davis Square or Newton markets in June. Today we have some exciting news about our market schedule for the 2025 season. Lunenburg Artisan Market Update Sun Jun 22: Sadly, due to thunderstorms and the extreme heat/humidity watch – as well as most of the other vendors backing out – we are canceling our attendance today.

Hello native friends! And a very warm welcome to those folks who subscribed our newsletter at the Lunenburg Artisan Market! Next Market Our next market is upon us: Davis Square Farmers Market, Wednesday, May 21, 2025, from noon to 6pm. The street address is 44 Day Street, Somerville MA, and you can read more about the market here. This is a pop-up market hosted by Grow Native Massachusetts, and we’re hoping it will be a lively one!

Opening Day Sale! We’ll be officially open for business this Sunday, May 4th, 2025, at our backyard nursery in Lunenburg, MA. Stop by between 10am and 4pm that day to buy native plants, take a tour, and nerd out about botany! If you’re Facebook active, you can indicate “interested” or “going” on the event page, and that will keep you up to date. Since I’d rather not have internet randos showing up on my doorstep, please email lise@redtrilliumgardens.

Our first market of the season is happening tomorrow, Tuesday, April 22nd, 2025. We’ve teamed up with Grow Native Massachusetts to do another pop-up native plant market at Fitchburg MA’s Earth Day celebration. We’ll be in parking lot of Fitchburg City Hall (730 Main Street) from 2-5pm with a selection of our native plants: Foxglove beardtongue (Penstemon digitalis) - quarts at $10 Clustered mountain-mint (Pycnanthemum muticum) - quarts at $10 Sundial lupine (Lupinus perennis) - 1.

Guess what April is? … no, not my birth month. (Although, good guess!) It’s National Poetry Month AND National Native Plant Month! What better way to celebrate than to feature the work of American/Canadian poets who write about native plants? Details: I’m sticking with the native plants of the northeast US and Canada, because they’re what I know best. This will be a series of social media posts on the Red Trillium Gardens Instagram and Facebook – with echoes on Bluesky.

Happy vernal equinox, native plant friends! From here on out, it’s all downhill (uphill?) until spring and summer – and I couldn’t be happier about that. … I’m less than happy about the fact that my well basically needs to be replaced, though. Currently I have no drinkable water, and on Monday an excavator will probably tear through some of my native plantings 😢 But enough about me! Opening Day Sale!

Ahhh it’s the end of the season! I am only slightly losing my mind this week, preparing for my last market of the season, ordering seeds (can you believe Wild Seed Project was sold out of half the seeds I wanted by 10am on their opening day?), finishing my New England Shrubs class, and preparing for my open house on Sunday! Next and Final Market Our final market is the Leominster Farmers’ Market, this Saturday, October 5th, 2024, from 11am-2pm, in Monument Square in Leominster, MA.

Wow, I can hardly believe it’s almost time to close for the season! My first year in business has just flown by. (And yet somehow I was potting up seedlings up until three days ago… many lessons learned for next year!) Closing for the season October 6th I was planning on staying open through the end of October with the final Ashby market on the 27th, but then I realized that a) other native plant nurseries are already closing, and b) the average date of first frost around here is October 5th, and I don’t want to sell folks plants that are might be frost-killed before they have a chance to get established.

Next Market(s) We’re excited to join Grow Native Massachusetts and three other native plant nurseries for a “popup market” at the Newton Farmers’ Market! This market is Tuesday, September 17, 2024, from 1:30pm to 6pm in Cold Spring Park (1094 Beacon Street) in Newton, MA. The three other nurseries are Bluestem Natives, Checkerspot Farm, and Lady Fern Farm, all incredibly knowledgeable folks who care deeply about native ecosystems. Between the four of us, I’m sure you’ll find any native plant you could want!

Next Markets We’ll be at both the Leominster and Ashby markets this weekend. More markets means more chances to get our plants! Details: Leominster Farmers’ Market: Saturday, September 7th, 2024, from 11am-2pm in Monument Square, Leominster, MA Ashby Farmers Market: Sunday, September 8th, 2024, from 9am to noon on the Ashby Town Common (1 South Rd), Ashby, MA. Our theme for these markets is “In Bloom 🌸” – we plan to bring whatever species are showing off beautiful flowers (or are about to!

Next market: Ashby Farmers’ Market Don’t forget, our Ashby market is this Sunday, August 25th, 2024 from 9am to noon on the Ashby MA Town Common. Our theme for this market is “fall color 🍁” – or, as I like to call it, “oops, all asters.” 😂 I’m going for the broad definition here – anything in the family Asteraceae is game. This includes asters (of course), goldenrods, white snakeroot, and more – anything with those composite flowers!

Hello native plant friends! I hope the recent humidity is treating you well. The Leominster Farmers’ Market was a rousing success, and it was lovely meeting you new subscribers there. I hope to see you at our future markets. Next Markets Our next market will be the Ashby Farmers’ Market, tomorrow (Sunday), August 11, 2024 from 9am to noon, on the Ashby Town Common, 1 South Rd, Ashby, MA. After that, the next market will also be the Ashby Market, on Sunday, August 22nd, 2024.

We are hoppy to report that we are hoppin’ around again, so tomorrow is HOPPENING. 🐸🐸🐸 … sorrynotsorry. Leominster Farmers’ Market Saturday, Aug 3, 2024, 11am-2pm Monument Square, Leominster, MA What we plan to have ($5 in a pint pot unless otherwise marked): Monarch food! i.e. milkweeds (Asclepias spp) 🦋 (literally; the monarchs and milkweed tussock caterpillars have been devouring these!) “Get ready for fall” plants like asters (Symphyotrichum, Eurybia, Doellingeria spp) and goldenrods (Solidago spp) 🍁 “Hummingbird quartet” in vibrants reds and pinks: native penstemons (Penstemon digitalis and hirsutus), cardinal flower (Lobelia cardinalis), and red columbine (Aquilegia canadensis) 🐦‍🔥 Partridge pea (Chamaecrista fasciculata) - $7 for a quart pot of two plants (annual) - now in bloom!

As some of you may already be aware, I sprained my ankle this past Saturday. It’s minor – x-rays confirmed there’s no fracture – but it’s making it difficult to get around, especially to the level I need for gardening and doing markets. As a result, I had to cancel my market on Sunday (Ashby Farmers’ Market). I am scheduled to do the Leominster Farmers’ Market next Saturday – August 3rd, 2024 11am-2pm in Monument Square.

Hello, native plant friends – and especially those newcomers who joined at the Fitchburg Market! I’ve just got a few announcements for you today. Next market: Ashby We will be at the Ashby Farmers’ Market this weekend: Sunday, July 28, from 9am to noon, on the Ashby Common (1 South Rd), Ashby, MA. We plan to have a sampling of most everything on our availability list. Please email lise@redtrilliumgardens.com to reserve specific plants for pickup at this market.

We got rained out last weekend for Leominster Farmers’ Market. Sad, but at least I got to trial my new vehicle packing solution! More details on that below, but the first order of business is… Upcoming Markets We will be at the Fitchburg and Ashby Farmers’ Market this weekend! Fitchburg Farmers’ Market: Saturday, July 13, 2024, 10am-1pm, Upper Common, Fitchburg, MA Ashby Farmers’ Market: Sunday, July 14, 2024, Ashby Town Common (1 South Rd), Ashby, MA, from 9am to noon.

I have a very short announcement for you today: in the past week, we’ve been approved to setup at the Leominster, Fitchburg, AND Ashby Farmers’ Markets. Here are the details – If you use Facebook, you can indicate your interest in the events using the links below. Leominster Farmers’ Market: 1st Saturday of the month through October, in Monument Square, Leominster, MA, from 11am to 2pm. We plan to be there 7/6, 8/3, 9/7, and 10/5 of 2024.

It has been stupidly hot here – last week’s heat wave brought us up to 95 or 96F, plus this week has been your bog-standard midsummer “in the 80s and humid.” (That’s 30-35 C, for you metric lovers). As much as possible, I’m trying to stay inside – I have a lot of repotting to do, and I can do that in my cool plant dungeon basement! But unfortunately that’s not always possible…

Can you believe it’s already June – and almost July? April felt interminable (“the cruelest month”; thanks T.S. Eliot), May had a slow start, but June has flown by. Maybe because it’s the busiest time of the year! … My entire life right now is potting up plants that I winter sowed; pls halp. Speaking of winter sowing, finally some of our winter sown plants are big enough to sell! We also had a generous donation of plants from a friend of the nursery, Ginny, who has been a huge supporter since day 1.

Hello, friends of RTG! We’re moving into June, and I wanted to update you on upcoming markets and new resources on the website. Next Market(s) Our next scheduled market is Saturday, June 15, 2024, from 9am - 2pm, at Montuori Fleamarket at 186 Massachusetts Ave. Some of the plants we plan to have available there include: Yarrow (multi-hued cultivar) - Achillea millefolium - $5/plug Wild bergamot/bee-balm - Monarda fistulosa - $5 per plug; 10 for a quart Spotted bee-balm - Monarda punctata - $5/plug Swamp/rose milkweed - Asclepias incarnata - $5/plug Broad-leaved mountain mint - Pycnanthemum muticum - $5/plug We also have starts of tomatoes (slicing, sauce, and cherry varieties), peppers (both hot and bell), and herbs.

We changed our site description, so it’s official – we’re now open for business! “When can I visit?” As we don’t have a storefront, currently we are selling plants in two ways: 1) at markets and events, and 2) by order for pickup. “What’s your next event?” We are planning to attend these two events: Framingham Spring Fest, May 4, 2024, at Downtown Common, 2 Park Street, Framingham, MA, 12pm-4pm. (Facebook event) Montuori Flea Market, May 11, 2024, 186 Mass Ave in Lunenburg, MA.

The big news is that we’ll be at two events coming up in April and May. The first is this weekend: Fitchburg Earth Day, April 21, 2024, from 12pm to 3pm at Riverfront Park in Fitchburg, MA. We’ll be there as part of Grow Native Massachusetts’ “pop-up market.” Come plant some seeds of common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) and take them home with you! We’ll also have some select native and garden herbs to sell, but it’s still too early for most of our stock.

Spring is fast approaching, and we have been busy here at Red Trillium Gardens! Did you notice our new look? RaigeMage wrapped up our logo and banner design last week, and this week I’ve finally been able to implement it! (Being a former web developer helps!) My guidance to him was “Art Deco trillium,” and I think he’s done a bang-up job of capturing that. If you see any infelicities with the site associated with those changes, do let me know!

We now have socials! If you haven’t already, please give us a like/follow on Facebook or Instagram. We also now have an email newsletter! It sends on Tues, Thurs, and Sat evenings if there’s a new blog post to show. Right now we’re averaging about 1 email a week. We have hired RaigeMage to make a more professional logo and header for us. I’m excited by what I’ve seen so far, and I’m excited to see the final result!