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| A view of the new native plant nursery in Silver Spring Photo: MG Debbie Boger |
A new Native Plant Nursery opened in late Fall 2025 in downtown Silver Spring, located behind Progress Place (8106 Georgia Ave.) on the site of the Urban Farm formerly operated by Shepherd’s Table. With start-up funding from the Community Food Forest Collective (CFFC), this nonprofit nursery is headed by MG Debbie Boger, who is leading an army of volunteers in providing free native plants to community partners. The plants are installed and distributed by nonprofit partners such as CFFC, Shepherd’s Table, CKC Farming, Long Branch Library, and CHEER, all of which serve communities that have historically not been able to pay for native plants in bulk.
Debbie, the former manager of the Urban Farm, took on this new role with gusto in November 2025. The nursery has been ramping up this spring, and there has been a lot to do in propagating hundreds of native plants and maintaining a safe and attractive nursery. The team has potted up scores of plants that overwintered (mostly amsonia, columbine, Joe-Pye weed, and threadleaf coreopsis), moved around lots of plants that had “volunteered” throughout the space, germinated seedlings in more than 250 milk jugs, and sterilized pots for potting up seedlings when they get larger.
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| Seedlings in milk jugs Photo: MG Debbie Boger |
The goal is for native plant installations from the nursery to help clean our waterways, create habitat for wildlife, and beautify our urban spaces. Using native plants in our urban areas is critical for supporting pollinators and other wildlife that are so important to our ability to produce food and support the broader environment. The nursery itself also offers Shepherd’s Table staff and others a relaxing spot in which to enjoy a little break.
Debbie plans for the Native Plant Nursery, which is located adjacent to the Metropolitan Branch Trail, to be open to the public as a demonstration site at certain hours once the trail is refurbished and reopened. The nursery engages volunteers, including students who want to earn Student Service Learning (SSL) hours, but it is not eligible for MCMG volunteer hours at this time. If you have any questions about the nursery, please contact Debbie using her contact information in VMS.
