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2025-2026 NARGS Seed Exchange Main Round Ordering will open Friday, December 19th!

Due to the launching of a new website, the 2025-2026 Seed Exchange opening for online orders will be delayed until December 19th. Current members will receive an email reminder a few days before opening, when the seed list is available for previewing online. Since we are transitioning to a new platform, be sure to log in now as soon as possible to check the process. There have been some changes. Please see instructions in the email members will receive this weekend.

Interested In More Than Just Everyday Plants? Then NARGS Is For You!

Our members care about studying, conserving, and cultivating some of our planet's most interesting plants, many of which are only found in our most at-risk environments. We focus on plants from many ecosystems, ranging from those found on high alpine peaks down to bogs, woodlands, and deserts.

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Join Us For A Virtual Exploration Of Ecological Rock Gardens

Join us November 16 for NARGS Rocks, a virtual study day exploring ecological rock gardens. Discover rare buckwheats, rhododendrons, and conservation gardens with expert speakers from across the country. Don’t miss this inspiring deep dive into resilient garden design!

Join us for a virtual study Donate

Dive Into Engaging Talks On Rock Gardening, Alpine Botanicals, And Ecological Design

Explore the NARGS Video Library! Dive into engaging talks on rock gardening, alpine botanicals, and ecological design—whenever, wherever. Learn from top experts at your own pace and deepen your appreciation for resilient plants.

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Who We Are

NARGS connects like-minded people in many ways, from our publications to exclusive events, local and national meetings, and workshops where you can learn how to cultivate these plants in unique gardens, containers and how to propagate them. NARGS lectures bring many of the world's leading botanical specialists to our members and our annual seed exchange is world renown.

Autumn Bulbs Of Crete

Greentours, an U.K. based nature holiday company, organized the tour. Our main guide was Oron Peri, owner of Seeds for Peace, a bulb/seed company based in Israel, and a frequent...

Todd Boland October 2, 2025 -

Chalk Mountain, Wyoming, In July

Though flat-topped, Chalk Mountain is still very scenic. The plateau, with a mostly grassland flora, has striking views from the sides. On the plateau, you can see a few species...

Tony Reznicek October 2, 2025 -

Pruhonice botanical gardens in the Czech Republic

The Early Origins Of Rock Gardening

Conrad Gesner was regarded as a capable alpine botanist with a deep knowledge of the alps near his home in Zurich. By the 1560s, he had created a garden which...

Connor Smith October 2, 2025 -

Support Rock Gardening Across North America

Our members care about studying, conserving, and cultivating some of our planet's most interesting plants, many of which are only found in our most at-risk environments.

Become a member Donate

Plant of the month

Plant Name: Androsace sarmentosa

Androsace sarmentosa is mostly known in cultivation by its subspecies primuloides. In some literature it is called Androsace primuloides. A synonym name sometimes encountered is A. studiosorum. This species hails from Nepal,Tibet and Pakistan, where is grows in open woodlands and rocky slopes at an elevation of 2700-4000 m. Plants form a loose mat of evergreen rosettes, 1-3 cm in diameter, with somewhat spoon-shaped leaves that are covered in white hairs. The overwintering rosettes are especially silvery in appearance. Each...

Book of the month

Book title:

Mien Ruys: The Mother of Modernist Gardens

Mien Ruys was an influential garden designer pioneering the modernist style. She designed over 3,000 gardens from 1923 until her death in 1999, primarily in her native Netherlands. Her plans used clean, modern lines coupled with a naturalistic planting style that emphasized perennials. She worked with many of the Dutch architects of her time and influenced later garden designers including Piet Oudolf, James van Sweden, and many others.