Fassett Farm Nursery in Jaffrey, which has a focus on growing and selling native plants, is back for its second season starting May 4 with a new storefront, expanded hours and new consultation offerings.

The nursery is owned by Aaron Abitz, and run on a historic farm on Mountain Road, a property owned by Doug Clayton, who manages the grounds. The business encourages people to look at their lawns and gardens with a new eye – one that seeks to create resources for the native bees and animals that live around them.

“For the past 100 years of suburban home-owning, lawns have been the king of the landscape,” said Brittany Cavanagh, one of the nursery’s associates. “But they’re essentially an ecological dessert.”

The lack of diversity of a single kind of grass – often not native, often kept cut short – doesn’t provide benefit to bird and insect populations, including beneficial species. Cavanagh said that by incorporating native plants into your garden, people can bring back some of those benefits.

“If you plant them, they will come,” Cavanagh said. “And you can still have a beautiful garden.”

Abitz said that often people think that conservation work is a large-scale operation, such as conservancies that have the fundraising and manpower to protect large tracts from development.

“But if everyone started on their own property, we can really make a difference,” Abitz said.

Abitz said this spring, even before the nursery’s official opening, he has been working with clients in a consulting capacity, reviewing their plantings and coming up with plans to incorporate more natives. And, in another offering from the nursery, he has also been helping to turn lawns or fields into meadows, rather than solely grass.

Cavanagh said that while the diversity of meadows is helpful for bolstering ecological diversity, people can accommodate based on the use of their yards – leaving a cleared area that is just smaller, or putting down paths, or converting only their backyard.

“People, on average, have much more lawn than they need or use on a regular basis,” Cavanagh said. “A lot of people like the look of an open, grassy lawn, but a meadow can also be beautiful.” She added that depending on the mix, grasses are also an important aspect of ecology, as some butterflies rely on them for breeding.

This year, the nursery is introducing collections for gardeners who are looking to incorporate more natives into their landscape. The collections are based on the types of sun or shade a homeowner might have in their yard, and have become one of the nursery’s most-popular offerings, Abitz said.

In expansions planned for the business this year, the farm is converting a garage at the head of the property into a storefront, to better sell some of the plants the nursery grows. There are plans to expand the growing gardens and double the stock area, Abitz said.

This year, the nursery expects to offer hours between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. from Wednesday through Saturday, an expansion on last year’s hours, when the nursery was only open three days a week.

The nursery expects to hold its opening for plant purchases on May 4.  Fassett Farm Nursery will also be selling plants at the following locations and days: June 2 at the New Hampshire Audubon, June 15 and June 16 at the Harris Center, June 25 at the Cheshire County Conservation District and Aug. 24 at the Garden Conservancy.

Ashley Saari can be reached at 603-924-7172, Ext. 244, or asaari@ledgertranscript.com. She’s on X @AshleySaariMLT.