In the heart of Cleveland’s vibrant Collinwood neighborhood, a transformative venture is in bloom. The newly-opened Meadow City Nursery aims to introduce a diverse selection of native plants to local landscapes and gardens while fostering ecological literacy within the community. At the Westropp Ave. nursery, not far from I-90 and E. 152nd St., Collinwood shoppers can purchase native perennial and annual plants and learn how to use them in their yards.
Meadow City Nursery is the brainchild of three recent alumni of Ohio State University with backgrounds in natural resources and ecological restoration – Julie Slater, Dave Tomashefski, and Alyssa Zearley. The founders explain that the past decade has seen a surge in interest towards planting native plants, primarily because they promote biodiversity, supporting wildlife like pollinators, caterpillars, and birds.
“We realized there’s a lack of native plant supply for restoration projects and gardening, which often impedes the progress of these efforts,” Slater explained. “This inspired us to establish a nursery with a retail outlet, not just to sell native plants, but also to educate people about them.”
The nursery, which opened this month and which Slater has been working towards since she left her job as an environmental consultant in 2021, is located at 15006 Westropp Ave. While Meadow City had pop-up sales around Cleveland last summer, the Collinwood property is its first permanent space. The nursery rents the previously vacant lot from the Cleveland Land Bank for $2 a year. Meadow City stocks mostly small to mid-size perennial plants, along with a few annual flowers, and prices start at $6.48.
Why native plants?
For the uninitiated, native plants are the ones local wildlife depends upon. They are naturally present in a region for thousands of years, having evolved over time to meet the needs of the local wildlife. Moreover, being native, these plants are adapted to local weather and soil conditions, requiring less maintenance and minimal additional inputs, like fertilizers. The nursery primarily sells perennial native plants, most of which are grown from seeds that were collected locally in Northeast Ohio. (Perennial means plants that grow back each spring.) This ensures the plants are not just native, but also adapted to the local ecosystem.
Beyond selling plants, Meadow City aims to establish an active role in community education. One of their key initiatives is to host educational events coinciding with the popular Walk All Over Waterloo events (first Friday of each month, 6-9 p.m.). During these events, the Meadow City staff hopes to teach people how to set up gardens that will support the complete metamorphosis of beneficial caterpillars.
“Even a small garden can have a significant impact, especially in a migratory spot like Cleveland. A well-maintained garden with native plants can serve as a refueling spot for migrating monarchs and birds. It doesn’t just promote biodiversity but also adds an interesting dimension to your garden, turning it into a mini ecosystem buzzing with life,” Tomashefski and Slater shared, often finishing one another’s sentences as they spoke.
From farm to plant nursery
Meadow City Nursery is not all about trees and plants. It is also a story of transformation. Back in the day, their plot of land was part of a big farm owned by the Westropp family. Then Interstate 90, their current neighbor, came through and cut it in half. Even after the farm closed, the farmhouse stood for a long time. (See a local historian’s 2011 discussion of the house and its history here.) County records show that after years of deterioration, the house was demolished in 2016, and the Cleveland Land Bank took possession of the lot in 2018. Since then, the land had been vacant until Meadow City.
City of Cleveland zoning helped bring Meadow City to life. Many cities allow use of vacant land for a community garden, but Cleveland also allows for “market gardens” like Meadow City. Market gardens are permitted to sell what’s grown on the property. As a market garden, the nursery does not need to meet any city parking minimums (as a restaurant or apartment building might), and it can get water from a nearby fire hydrant, say the owners.
Slater hadn’t anticipated the number of neighbors that came and thanked them for doing something with the vacant lot. It’s clear that people have been happy to see activity and something positive coming into the space.
“This plant nursery is a gift to the neighborhood and to Cleveland,” said Chris Kennedy, who lives nearby. “Native plants are easy to grow, support biodiversity, and are beautiful. It is so great to see Meadow City bringing life back to this corner of Collinwood with a project that will literally spread life around the city.”
Bringing plant diversity to Cleveland
The owners’ passion for native plants is contagious. “Milkweeds are kind of like plant celebrities right now,” Slater said. “And the one that we try to promote is called swamp milkweed.” It boasts beautiful pink flowers and is very tolerant of different soil conditions. Tomashefski explains that this variety is important because research shows when female monarch butterflies were presented with multiple milkweed varieties upon which to lay their eggs, they clearly preferred swamp milkweed. Furthermore, monarch caterpillars can’t ingest any other plant tissue other than the milkweed, so it is essential for local gardens.
“Another of our more interesting plants is called Allegheny monkey flower,” said Tomashefski. “It’s called monkey flower because it has a face-like pattern that some say resembles a monkey’s face. It’s a cute plant that adds an element of whimsy to any garden and also attracts bees and butterflies.”
Moreover, Meadow City aims to offer plants that are suitable for different types of gardens and landscapes. As Tomashefski pointed out, “We want to supply plants that work well in both smaller urban gardens and larger suburban yards. We’re looking at offering a range of plants from cup plant, which can reach heights of six feet, to blue lobelia, which is a smaller plant more suitable for urban gardens.”
Hope for the future
When asked about the future and how they envision the Meadow City Nursery evolving, Slater responded with hope for expansion. “I see us expanding to other vacant lands, helping more people to start native gardens,” she said. “I really hope that we can grow big enough and maybe occupy some more sites down the road, as well as provide some good employment opportunities to our neighbors.”
In the future, they aim to supply plants for native plant restoration projects and assist with reforestation efforts in Cleveland, they said. Their efforts have attracted the attention of local ecological organizations. The Western Reserve Land Conservancy has approached Meadow City about collaborating on future projects, said Tomashefski, noting that the organization is particularly interested in collaborating on a wild seed collection workshop.
The owners are eager to share their love for ecology and the environment and the wonder that nature can inspire. As Slater puts it, “Seeing a caterpillar munching on a leaf or a bee collecting pollen from a native flower is like watching nature’s theater in your backyard. It’s these small moments of connection with nature that we want to facilitate through Meadow City Nursery.”
Meadow City Nursery is located at 15006 Westropp Ave., Cleveland. During the growing season, it is open Thursday through Saturday 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. and Sunday 2 – 6 p.m. Email the nursery at hello@meadowcitynursery.com.
Editor’s note: A previous version of this article mistakenly referred to Cleveland Metroparks, not Western Reserve Land Conservancy. Two plant names have also been updated.
Vaiva Neary was a participant in The Land’s community journalism program.
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