How It Works
Sink Your Hands in the Dirt
Your new native plants are helping rebuild a better planet, while supporting our resilient communities.
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When and how do I order native plants?
We offer plants in Portland, OR and surrounding communities, each spring and fall - which are the best times for planting in our climate.
Pro Tips for Placing Your Online Order:
- Plan Ahead: Some species may sell out on the opening day of sales. Take time in the days (or weeks) leading up to opening day to browse our website and jot down your wish list.
- Buy in Multiples: When planting with herbaceous plants and groundcovers, buying in multiples (i.e. 3 - 5 of the same plant) is preferred by insects and wildlife. Continuous areas of the same plant provide better foraging and other habitat opportunities. Plus it usually looks better from a design perspective!
- Buy Early for the Best Selection: Ordering will go live at 9am on the "opening day". Please note, when we publish the “order live” website, it may take a few minutes for the changes to integrate. Reload the page if you’re not seeing options to buy.
- Choose the Closest Location for Pick-up: help us spread out our deliveries, drive less, and support your local community by choosing the location closest to you. Each location has a fresh delivery of plants from our growers the day before the pick-up so each of the four events will have the same high quality assortment available.
- Order Minimum: There is a $30 minimum order. This is important because we have a limited number of pickup slots available per sale, and this allows us to make sure we are able to give our non-profit partners a meaningful give-back. If this presents a hardship for you, please let us know!
- Order Maximum: There is no order maximum (previously set at $500). Order away!!
- Want to CHANGE or ADD to your order after it's been placed? Please email customerservice@sparrowhawknativeplants.com rather than placing a second order. Placing a second order will require you to select a new check-out date/time, which causes confusion down the road when you have two pick-up dates/times.
Where do I pick-up my plant order?
When you order online, you will select your pickup location, date and time at check-out. Each pop-up event is hosted by a different, rad community partner that receives a portion of the proceeds!
The pickup dates and locations for fall 2024 are:
- Fri, Oct 4 - Sat Oct 5 in NE Portland (Multnomah County Drainage District, 1880 NE Elrod Dr, Portland) in partnership with People of Color Outdoors and Columbia Slough Watershed Council
- Fri, Oct 11 - Sat, Oct 12 in East Portland (St. Matthew's Anglican Church, 11100 NE Skidmore St) in partnership with Depave
- Fri, Oct 18 - Sat, Oct 19 in SE Portland (Brentwood-Darlington Community Center, 7211 SE 62nd Ave) in partnership with Brentwood-Darlington Neighborhood Association, Black Futures Farm, The Learning Gardens Laboratory and Multnomah County Master Gardeners' Demonstration Garden
- Fri, Oct 25 - Sat, Oct 26 in Tigard (Rise Church, 10445 SW Canterbury Ln, Tigard, OR 97224) in partnership with Tualatin Riverkeepers
At each event, you will park and meet us at the marked check-in tent. We efficiently find your account by order number and provide a list of everything you ordered. Then, you get to peruse the inventory and pick out your new plant babies to take home! Don’t worry, we’ll double-check at check-out to make sure they are all there and answer any questions you may have.
What Will My Plants Look Like?
We sell plants in the fall and spring when most plants are dormant because our goal is to make you successful. Rest assured, transplanting plants when they are dormant leads to less shock and greater success. Fall planting is best, but spring is a close second. Here’s a few notes about what to expect from your new Sparrowhawk plants:
- Your new plants will probably not look like the picture (yet). Some may even look like pots of dirt, especially the bulbs. If you are concerned, please check the pot for a bulb, rhizome or root structure before leaving the pop-up, or talk to us at checkout.
- Did you know most native bulbs naturally die back and dry out in the summer? By fall, many will appear to be a dry, rootless bulb. But fear not! This is normal - it will put out new roots in the spring and it’s best for it set down those new roots in its new home in your garden.
- If you purchased a small pot, it may take one full season to several years to reach maturity, depending on the species. Keep in mind this gardening axiom; the first year they sleep, the second year they creep, the third year they leap.
- We are not able to provide a blanket warranty on plants. We work with licensed, reputable growers. The plants are only in our possession for a few days and are treated with utmost care during that time. We are compassionate humans, please don't hesitate to let us know if you have any additional issues or questions; customerservice@sparrowhawknativeplants.com
What can I do with my black plastic pots and tags after I've planted my plants?
We're so glad you asked! Let's work together to reduce plastic waste!
Black Plastic Pots: Our growers are not able to reuse black plastic pots due to state regulation aimed at reducing the spread of plant diseases. However, smaller growers, like our friends at Echo Valley Natives (Sandy, OR), Bosky Dell Natives (West Linn, OR) and Sauvie Island Natives (Sauvie Island) sometimes take back and re-use clean, dirt-free, good condition, plastic pots. Contact them directly to see if they are currently taking pots and to coordinate a drop off time. Thanks for supporting local nurseries and reducing plastic waste!
Waste Management also accepts black plastic pots in your curbside recycling bin.
Plant Tags: Sparrowhawk will accept and reuse clean, like-new Sparrowhawk plant tags. Simply bring them back to one of our pop-ups and drop them off at check-out!