About Us
Plants for places, wildlife, and people.
What We Do
Origin Native Plants is your source for high-quality native plants. Our plants are grown using seed collected ethically from sites throughout southern Ontario and Manitoulin Island.
​
Founded in 2019, Origin Native Plants is a small nursery nestled within the agricultural lands of the Ignatius Jesuit Centre, a thriving community committed to organic agriculture, ecological restoration, and environmental education.
​
Origin Native Plants was inspired by Grand Moraine Growers, a plant nursery in Alma, Ontario with 25 years of experience in exceeding the needs of their clients. Under the guidance of owners Paul Sheppard and Jim Dougan, we will continue to offer the same high-quality plants.
​
At ONP, we collect our own seed, only water with rain water and use solar power to run our water and light system.
Marsh Marigold (Caltha palustris)
Wild Blue Flag (Iris versicolor)
Who We Are
Zack Harris
Alexzander Smith
Zack is a botanist, ecologist, and consulting arborist with 12 years of experience in ecological consulting around Canada. Zack's passion and knowledge as well as personal interest in growing native plants sparked his desire to start a nursery. He is dedicated to putting plants in the right place, whether it be a backyard pollinator garden or large-scale restoration project. Zack's vision is to apply his knowledge of Canadian native plants to bring to market lesser-known and under-appreciated species to every day people.
Alexzander is a restoration ecologist with 15 years of green building experience and a passion for ecological restoration and fostering resilient ecosystems. He is dedicated to growing native plants and the connections they have to insects and animals. The loss of ecological diversity in the landscape has ignited his desire to start Origin Native Plants. Alexzander’s vision is to create a thriving local hub for ecological restoration.
