The GNCE x GCC Native Plant Project

About Us

The Goodwin-Niering Center for the Environment (GNCE) Native Plant Team is a group of 4 students from Connecticut College who are partnering with the Groton Conservation Commission (GCC) to compile native plant resources into an introductory guide for Connecticut residents. We found that many residents have a hard time finding information about gardening with native plants and where to locate nurseries that sell them in the area. To fix this problem we started The GNCE x GCC Native Plant Project. This project entails a "Native Plants for Dummies" manual within this website, as well as our physical presence advertising native plant awareness at local events. 

The Connecticut College Arboretum hosts a Native Plant Sale every summer/fall! Orders are placed in late July and plants are usually picked up in early September. Be sure to look out for more information this summer! 

The webpage for the Connecticut College Arboretum is the first link under RESOURCES for further information.

Our Mission

Unfortunately, the importance of native plants is lost on many people. This is a problem our team wants to address by providing understandable and accessible information to the residents of Groton and nearby communities. It is important to us that this information is delivered in a memorable and entertaining way because we believe if people tie a good experience to learning about native plants, they’ll retain that positive association and be more likely to start their own journey of planting natives. We hope that this website will serve as an indispensable resource for experienced and novice gardeners alike!