Happy Earth Week!

Here's Some Earth Focused News You Can Use From

Prickly Ed's Cactus Patch Native Plant Emporium

April 22, 2024

Click here to visit and bookmark our updated website where you will find all the latest news on the Native Plant Emporium as well as an array of tools and resources to help you plan your garden spaces. Visit www.PricklyEds.com

See You Soon!

We will be opening for the 2024 Season on April 26th. If you live in the area you may have seen some activity here already. Lots of local residents and organizations placed orders over the winter months and are here picking them up in advance of opening day. If you have landscape projects in your future be sure to reach out to discuss your plant needs. We are happy to work with you to get you varieties, sizes and quantities of items that you need.

During the month of May we will be open every Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 11-5 and on Wednesdays and Thursdays from 4-7 pm. When schedules allow we also open by appointment during the week and we schedule periodic weekday "pop up" openings when we have inventory in stock and are here to greet you. Keep an eye on our Facebook and Instagram Pages for pop up announcements and other details.

Follow along on Facebook and Instagram for all the latest news and information - and be sure to invite your friends!

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What treasures will you find at the Native Plant Emporium on Barneyville Road this season?

Wicked Awesome Native Plants naturally! And so much more, read on...

As many of you already know, inventory at the Emporium is ever changing, just like the New England weather. We do not have a live online inventory or ordering system. In the Amazon era we know this can be frustrating to some, but, view it with an entirely different spin. Our vibe is the Emporium of yesteryear where you would drive somewhere, explore the offerings and enjoy the experience along the way. In the process you discover things you never even knew you needed until you saw them. Stop by often and join in the fun! And, here is what you can be assured of;


  • We stock an enormous variety of straight species Northeast Native Plants including perennials, grasses, ferns, shrubs and even trees.
  • We carry an array of unusual, dramatic designer flowering annuals selected for their uncanny ability to draw butterflies and hummingbirds to your yard from miles away!
  • We offer a wide selection of certified organic herb plants, including many hard to find and medicinal varieties as well as a handful of great organic vegetable plant options.
  • We can provide full trays of deep root plugs (seedlings) by special order only for large landscaping projects. A reminder that we will not be offering individual plug seedlings this season.
  • We even have complementary products including Earth Care Farms Compost, peat free Organic Mechanics Potting Soil, Buckwheat Hulls Mulch and upcycled rain barrels along with garden gifts including fabulous hanging baskets.
  • We never use pesticides of any kind here on site and holes in leaves and hitchhiking caterpillars are offered at no extra charge :-)!


The lists linked below will give you an idea of the types of plants that will be available from opening through the end of June. Even more varieties will become available during the summer months for fall planting season. We often sell out of popular items quickly (but do restock weekly throughout the entire season).


Not everything on the lists will be available all the time. Some things not listed at all, especially rare and unusual finds, are very likely to magically appear! Visiting often and strolling around is your best way to see what's new and exciting. You can also always reach out to us to find out whether we have the particular things you are looking for or to place a special order in advance.


Please note that while we are opening our "doors" on April 26th with lots in stock, the end of April is very early for most native plants. Many plants are just breaking dormancy and hundreds of varieties are not ready yet at all. For example, there won't be milkweed or cardinal flowers for a weeks yet. Peak availability for native plants (especially perennials and grasses) is from mid-late May through early July and then again from mid-August through the end of September. Peak time for our annual flowering plant availability is from Mother's Day through Memorial Day weekends.

Click Here for the Native Perennial, Shrub & Tree List
Click Here for the Flowering Annuals List
Click here to read more about the Native Plant Emporium
First time visiting? Click here for contact information and directions
Please remember, this is not a high tech, swanky, live inventory system establishment. We do not have a corporate back office or even any help (beyond dear friends and neighbors now and then). We are a hyperlocal, owner operated Roadside Attraction that carries super cool things in a fun community-centered environment. Click here to read more about us! 

Make Every Day Earth Day Right at Home!


Earth Day was first celebrated in 1970 as way to honor the planet and bring environmental concerns to the forefront of conversations and consciousness. It is a day aimed at awareness, but the intent is to spur action. What if there were actions you could take right outside your own door to make every day Earth Day? Well, we’re here to tell you that there are! Embrace the interconnected principles of resilient landscaping at home and urge others to do the same in your community and watch as things spring back to life! We also hope you will take a few minutes to read our latest blog post at the link below!

Every Day Can Be Earth Day When You Plant Native Plants

Mark your calendars!

You won't want to miss this one.

There are many experts in the eco-friendly garden circle but our favorite by far is Nancy Lawson, the Humane Gardner. Her values track squarely with ours, but even more, her sage advice centered in compassion and practicality has worked - time and again! We are delighted that she will be speaking virtually to a New England audience on a topic that is often top of mind - "Gardening Amount Hungry Mammals". Hosted by Grow Native Massachusetts, the virtual event is scheduled for May 8th from 7-8:30pm, Click on the image below for more information and to register. We also recommend a great read linked below titled "Gardening for Deer" - yup, you read that right it says "for deer". Check it out, we promise you will find some helpful tips along with a great perspective. Linked within the article is a helpful resource handout as well.


Click here to read "Gardening for Deer" (no that is not a typo)

Birdsong Interrupted - an Important Reminder as we Roar into the Season of Mow & Blow!

The compelling read linked below comes from the Humane Society of the United States and was written by Nancy Lawson (see above). Released last fall at the height of fall clean up frenzy it feels quite timely as we roar into another season of mow and blow mania blanketing the burbs. If you are shopping at Prickly Ed's or following along in the fun then chances are that you want to help nature thrive. We encourage you to consider the many ways that caring for our outdoor spaces impacts others. This article offers a thoughtful perspective. Click on the image below to be taken to the full piece - here is a favorite excerpt:


"Momentum toward a transition to electric equipment is unstoppable now, but it’s only a partial victory. Though quieter, those machines still blast away habitat and pollute the soundscape. We need to remember a time, not too many decades ago, when leaf blowers didn’t exist—when rakes were the tool of choice and more leaves were left under trees and shrubs, enhancing the soil and blanketing our wild neighbors.


As far as I know, no one was harmed by leaves left on the land in that pre-leaf-blower era. But many of our wild neighbors die or suffer now—or are never born in the first place—when we remove those leafy layers that serve as their only home. Leaf blowers are just one manifestation of our culture’s war on nature. But we have the power to say no to their use and yes to the voices they suppress. The birds and frogs and chipmunks have something to tell us, if we put down the power tools long enough to listen."


Insightful Articles to Explore As We Kick Off Another Gardening Season

Most gardeners approach each new season with unbridled enthusiasm. But sometimes it helps to have a bit of inspiration along the way and a reality check or two to keep it real. We think that the two articles below do a great job of laying out some of the realities of habitat building with native plants and help to emphasize the importance of not just changing the plants we use, but the ways that we use them, maintain them and even think about them. Click on the images below to explore them.

NATIVE PLANTS ARE NOT LAWN ORNAMENTS

The transition from ornamental gardening to ecological gardening is a long process for even earnest nature lovers. The only way we’ll ultimately move away from the cultural grip the 133 billion dollar Lawn & Garden industries have on how we manage our outdoor spaces is by ignoring the insistence to treat plants as objects that we collect and arrange to please our gardening style. Click the image below to explore this interesting and important perspective.

SO YOU WANT TO SAVE THE WORLD? START SMALL, SAVE YOUR OWN BACKYARD

Author and entomologist Doug Tallamy talks about what we can all do to make our yards more welcoming to wildlife.


The work of Doug Tallamy has helped inspire a rising tide of devotion to home ecological restoration, which wasn’t as fashionable 20 years ago. Nevertheless, legislators and landscaping companies have been slow to prioritize biodiversity over profit. Click below to explore this recent interview with Dr. Tallamy .

Dig In To New Planning Resources

We have added several new planning resources to our website and encourage you to explore them by clicking the button below. The site now includes an array of beneficial plant lists for various uses and even searchable databases. It is also has sample plans. Resilient gardens are built by matching the right native plant to the right place. Doing this requires spending time understanding your site conditions and also spending time researching plants to learn about their many characteristics. We have bundled lots of resources all into one place to save you time searching on the web. But, we do encourage you to spend the time digging deeply on the resources and creating a smart plan before you shop and dig!

Click Here To Visit Our Planning Your Garden Resource Page

New This Season at the Emporium

Organic Mechanics Potting Soil

Click Here to Read More About This Wonderful Company & Product

Be sure to look up at the full moon this week and bring a little bit more magic to your yard this season with a moon garden!


For millions of years there has been a night shift at work pollinating plants and trees, yet until recently little was known about these nocturnal visitors. Emerging science shows moths are the unsung heroes of pollination. In a study conducted at the University of Arkansas, moths pollinated apple trees just as efficiently as bees. Other research uncovered that the hairy underbellies of moths make great vessels for carrying pollen from one flower to another. So, what does any of this have to do with your garden? In the same way that many neighbors are focusing on creating pollinator gardens for buzzing daytime visitors like bees, butterflies and hummingbirds, so too can great spaces be created for wonderous winged creatures of the night in the form of magnificent moon gardens... (click below to keep reading)

Click Here to Continue Reading "Embrace the Magic of Moon Gardening"
Explore our Life in the Garden Blog Here!

WHAT'S NEW IN NEWS?

Keep an eye out for our "Life In the Garden Articles" in "East Bay Life". East Bay Life is an insert in all of our local community (Barrington, Bristol, East Providence, Little Compton, Portsmouth, Tiverton and Westport) newspapers. We are excited to share the important message of how building resilient landscapes in turn helps build resilient communities with all of our neighbors. And a reminder that you can explore a whole library of our writings in blog posts on our website!

Help Us Bring More Life to Our Region

New to Our Mailing List? Click Here to Check Out Prior Newsletter Editions 

We are on a mission to bring life back to area yards and gardens but we can't do it without all of you. Share this message with others using the links below. Invite friends to follow our Facebook Page. Use our newly updated website to share out helpful resources and information to friends and neighbors who are ready to grow habitat outside their own doors. With your support positive change is within reach.

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Prickly Ed's Cactus Patch

 6 Barneyville Road,

Barrington, RI 02806-2715

(401) 248-4785


Please note, use the address above for mailing or for GPS but the Roadside Stand/Native Plant Emporium is located in Swansea, MA directly next door to the address listed above. Just look for the sign and for the big red barn.

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Prickly Ed's Cactus Patch Native Plant Emporium is a super small, hyperlocal, roadside stand located in Swansea, MA directly on the border of Barrington, RI. We are focused using native plants as a tool for building resilient landscapes that nurture life and improve communities. Offering great native plants, prickly pear cactus, magic dirt, unusual pollinator friendly annuals, organic herb and vegetable plants, lots of solicited and unsolicited advice & random curiosities designed to get your yard really buzzing. You can read all about us on our website, including the story of where the name Prickly Ed's Cactus Patch came from. And be sure to follow along on Facebook and Instagram for garden tips, helpful resources, inspirations and to make more connections.

Read More About Us Here
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