Porterbrook Native Plants

About Us

 I came to appreciate native plants via a circuitous route. As an Army brat, I spent most of my childhood overseas. There are vivid memories of fields of poppies in France, alpine plants in the Alps, and dark forests in Germany. After a career as a Native American scholar, I returned to southern Ohio and began growing plants as a hobby. My hobby has turned into a nursery devoted to the native plants of southern Ohio, West Virginia and Virginia. Seeds from plants in neighboring states have been sent by friends and associates and have been added to the plant inventory. It seems something new arrives weekly. I am like a young boy in a candy store.

Three years ago, I was given the opportunity to design and provide the plants for the Parkersburg Library Arboretum located in Parkersburg, West Virginia. The plants are all grown from seed collected in West Virginia. Seven beds depict Spring ephemerals, meadows, prairies, dry woodlands, native grasses, and native asters, and a shale barren.  More and more people are discovering and appreciating the rich floral heritage of West Virginia.

Porterbrook Native Plants is a labor of love. I hope you can find the time to visit. Just be sure to call and make an appointment.

-Frank W. Porter, Ph.D.