Commercial nurseries have few native ornamental plant species and little to no information about them. There are not many natives for sale partly due to low demand and, also, the lack of data on how to propagate them. If you would like to have a native plant garden, there are options available other than purchasing plants from commercial nurseries, which we hope will eventually offer more native plants in the future.

In promoting the use of native plants, we in no way promote the removal of native plants from the forest in order to transplant them into gardens. What we want to promote is the observation, research, and propagation of native plants with ornamental potential, in other words: we want to promote the creation of regional native plant nurseries. Of course in order to create a nursery, mother plants, seeds, and cuttings are necessary; so when needed, one should collect this material from roadsides, trails, and secondary forests, and never from protected forests or national parks, unless MINAET has given permission for controlled removal for propagation purposes by means of a scientific passport (contact us if you would like more information about this procedure).