Support Holy Wisdom Monastery and Southern Wisconsin Bird Alliance by buying native plants

Native Plant Sale

March 21-May 5, 2024

Make your garden a beautiful, vibrant landscape while supporting birds, bees, butterflies and other native wildlife! Gardening with native plants is a wonderful way to decrease water and nutrient usage, create environments with plants that bloom throughout the seasons and provide critical resources to winged, crawling and hopping wildlife.

This spring, when you order native plants through our special Native Plant Sale with Johnson’s Nursery out of Menomonee Falls, WI, you get native plants delivered to Middleton, WI in May AND 15% of the sale totals go to Holy Wisdom Monastery and Southern Wisconsin Bird Alliance (split 50/50).

Order Native Plants

That is a big win, all around!

You get native plants — native wildlife gets extra benefits from your yard — a Wisconsin-based nursery gets sales — two non-profits make a little extra money to support habitat restoration and conservation.

Buy Native Plants

Buy native plants between March 21 and May 5, 2024, from Johnson’s Nursery. Pick up plants at Holy Wisdom Monastery on May 10. Fifteen percent of total sales gets split 50/50 between Holy Wisdom Monastery and Southern Wisconsin Bird Alliance.

Order Native Plants

Learn more about Friends of Wisdom Prairie

Since 2014, Friends of Wisdom Prairie have supported the sisters’ mission to care for the earth by contributing financial support, volunteer labor and a growing community of advocates.

Friends of Wisdom Prairie

How does this sale work?

Order your plants using the special section of Johnson’s Nursery’s website, and the plants will be delivered to Middleton on May 10. You pick them up from Holy Wisdom Monastery and take them home to plant!

You may notice Johnson’s Nusery’s prices are a bit higher than some other nurseries, but it’s for good reason. Johnson’s Nursery sells its plants at larger sizes with more highly developed root systems than plugs. This means the plants require less water, better resist pest damage and often flower within the first year. Plus, you’ll need fewer of them—Johnson’s Nursery recommends 1 plant per 2-3 square feet for perennials.

  1. March 21-May 5, visit the Johnson’s Nursery special plant sale website: https://shop.jniplants.com/

  2. Pick out which plants you want to purchase, add them to your cart, and check out.

  3. Enter your shipping address. After that is entered, you will have the option to select the Holy Wisdom Monastery pick up location on May 10. Be sure to choose the Holy Wisdom Monastery pick up option to make sure the plants get to the right place and organizers get credit for the sales.

  4. Watch for communications about the plan for picking up your plants on Friday, May 10 from Holy Wisdom Monastery (4200 Co Hwy M, Middleton).

  5. Take them home, plant them, and enjoy knowing you are doing something good for native wildlife!

Why garden with native plants?

  1. Native birds and wildlife have evolved with native plants, making the timing of their blooming and nutrient availability ideally lined up.

  2. Some native critters like monarch butterflies and Karner blue butterflies rely on native plants to lay eggs and raise their young. Plants like milkweeds and lupines are essential for these species to reproduce!

  3. Native plants are accustomed to Wisconsin’s heat, cold, wind, rain, snow and dry periods. That means once plants are established, you don’t have to baby them year to year, and they mostly take care of themselves. Less water, less fertilizing, and less fussing!

  4. Native plants support soil health and biodiversity in soil microbes, filter water effectively and efficiently and prevent erosion.

This native plant sale is coordinated by SOS Save Our Songbirds, Holy Wisdom Monastery, Southern Wisconsin Bird Alliance, and Johnson’s Nursery.