Wildtype Nursery preserves and protects Michigan’s natural landscape

Wildtype Nursery on North Every Road in Mason specializes in growing plants native to Michigan from Michigan genotypes and serves two groups of customers. 

“The wholesale customer is typically a contractor, nature center, U.S. Forest Service or DNR and sometimes traditional garden centers,” said owner and President Bill Schneider. “This makes up the majority of our sales. But the retail side has grown handsomely over the last five years even prior to the pandemic.” 

So handsomely, in fact, that Schneider only opens Wildtype to the public 11 days a season and limits customers to 45 people per hour. 

“Our plants are ‘borne to be wild’ because they are intended or well-suited to be used for naturalizing, sometimes called rewilding,” Schneider said. “We do not grow cultivars, although they have an important place in traditional horticulture; but even so, many of our customers are using our plants in commercial and residential landscapes for a variety of environmental reasons.” 

It’s great to know Michigan has a champion that helps protect the state’s natural landscape.