Opening in 2015, owner of Pialligo’s Cool Country Natives Karen Brien says that helping customers choose plants that will work for their garden and then hearing how good they look as they grow is “such a rewarding experience”. 

“We have a great team of people who are incredibly knowledgeable about the plants.”

Dedicated to selling only Australian plants, Karen says Cool Country Natives is Canberra’s only retail nursery to propagate 90 per cent of its tubestock and some of its potted stock. 

“Ninety-five per cent of our plants are frost hardy and heat tolerant, but we do have some special plants for your garden that require a special place,” she says.

“We also hold licences to sell threatened species, and collect and propagate from local populations.”

Open seven days a week, except for some public holidays, Karen says the nursery has the largest range of Australian plants suitable for growing in Canberra’s difficult climate and the team tries to help customers have a great success rate with their plants. 

“Our customer base is predominantly local, but we regularly have customers from all parts of NSW and Victoria,” she says. 

“Our plants have been selected for local conditions, however because we propagate our own plants, we can source many local species and have a large range of threatened species.

“We choose our suppliers carefully to ensure plants are hardened to our local conditions.”

Being selective about the nursery’s stock is important to Karen to ensure that it’s providing the best quality plants, potting mix and fertiliser. 

Working in a nursery has exposed Karen to a multitude of plants making it difficult to pick just one favourite. 

“There are too many favourites to mention, but the unusual forms of Banksia and Hakea are favourites,” she says. 

Ahead of the festive season, Karen says they wish their customers a safe and joyous Christmas, and recommend they drop by for the perfect gift of a plant or a gift certificate.

“We have a lovely line of locally produced cards from a local, well-known botanical artist Cheryl Hodges featuring native plants and insects, as well as new Christmas ones,” she says.

Cool Country Natives, 5A Beltana Road, Pialligo. Call 6257 6666 or visit coolcountrynatives.com.au