Our story

Meadow City was founded by a group of friends who love nature. The three of us - Alyssa, Dave, and Julie - met at OSU’s School of Environment and Natural Resources.

Learning about the richness and biodiversity of Ohio’s wild habitats made us realize how much was missing from the lawn-dominated landscapes where we live. Then we read Doug Tallamy’s book Nature’s Best Hope. It inspired us to see the potential of home landscapes to support birds, pollinators, and other wildlife which have suffered sharp declines in recent decades. Shrinking your lawn and planting beautiful native plants provides important food and shelter for these organisms.

When we tried to buy native plants for our own projects, we discovered that native plant growers were few and far between. We decided to start a native plant nursery, to reach more people and help them transform their yards. Because of our restoration backgrounds, we set out to offer not just native species, but “local ecotype” native plants - plants descended from local wild populations, which would bloom and fruit at the right time for birds and pollinators.

Our first pop-up sale at the Waterloo Arts Fest in 2022. (Alyssa is taking the photo.)

In 2022, we sold our first plants at pop-up sales throughout Northeast Ohio. We have grown quickly since then. We currently offer over 100 different species at our shop in Cleveland's Waterloo Arts District, and we increase our selection each year!

Want to learn more about us? Here is a recent presentation we did about the nursery, and here is some press about our work in The Plain Dealer, The Land, Cleveland Magazine, Spectrum News, and The Collinwood Observer.

Alyssa Zearley is our plant production manager. She has a B.S. in Plant Health Management and an M.S. in Environment and Natural Resources from Ohio State, where she researched soil contaminants. Before Meadow City, Alyssa worked at Holden Forests and Gardens where she managed the nursery’s pest program.

Dave Tomashefski grew up birdwatching in Lakewood. His gift is finding the perfect plant for everyone! Prior to Meadow City, Dave worked at the Soil, Water and Environmental Lab at Ohio State, where he also earned his M.S. in Environment and Natural Resources. As our education specialist, Dave is responsible for the nursery’s educational programs and materials.

Julie Slater gained her love of native plants working in the mountains of Virginia and the bogs of Ohio. As director of Meadow City, she does our wild seed collection, marketing, and sales. Julie has an M.S. in Environment and Natural Resources from Ohio State and currently serves on the board of Ohio Native Plants.