GARDEN CENTERS
Increase business with natives your customers crave
Native plants are vital to attracting more customers and increasing your sales. Our new plant tags help end-users choose and enjoy their benefits better.
Beautiful and resilient, natives are perfect for low-maintenance, sustainable landscapes. Our plants are locally-grown and neonic-free, with concern for the environment. And our RPM-produced plants grow 2x faster and survive better than traditionally grown stock.
Edibles are on-trend, especially for families spending more time at home. Forrest Keeling offers fruit trees and vines and our famous specialty crop species. We’ve got you covered for customers who seek to connect with nature, from colorful blooms for pollinators to food and cover for birds and more. Let Forrest Keeling help you grow your garden center business naturally.
Want to learn more? Contact us
CONSERVATION
Improve your restoration project success with our RPM-produced stock
Forrest Keeling is more than just a place of business – it is a place of continual learning, with nature as our greatest teacher.
After the freeze of 1991 and the floods of 1993, we realized the importance of focusing on native plants and developed the patented RPM production technology.
The outcome? Significantly improved project success, superior mast production, and vibrant soil health. Our resilient RPM plants have demonstrated a remarkable survivability rate of over 95% through the ‘Walk-A-Way’ system. Our trees and shrubs have played a key role in soil retention and the restoration of Midwest bottomlands and habitat.
Today, Forrest Keeling serves as a model for conservation projects in Missouri, across the country, and overseas.
We have established ourselves as the industry leader in native plant production, growing over 1.5 million plants annually, including seedlings, liner, and container stock. Our specialty lies in RPM-produced native plants, offering a diverse range of 380 species comprising 273 trees and shrubs and 107 perennials. Our finished stock also includes caliper trees up to 15 gallon.
John Muir said, “When one tugs at a single thing in nature, he finds it attached to the rest of the world.” We know that with you, our client partners, we can help ‘restore Earth’s ecosystems, one tree at a time.’ Contact us today.
urban forestry and LANDSCAPERS
Create beautiful, sustainable designs with native alternatives
Re-wilding, or restoring native habitat, is a top landscape trend. Mainly designed to conserve water and reduce resource demands.
Let nature inspire your designs and managed lands. Draw on her natural communities to create unique, working landscapes full of color and textures. Substitute resilient native alternatives for invasive plants and support critical pollinators. Native designs offer beauty and a calming sense of place and promote green living to users.
Native plants adapt well to today’s smaller, more efficient gardens – ones that invite gathering and create functional outdoor spaces. Climate-conscious clients are also making choices that benefit the environment. Are you puzzled over a green roof, raised beds or outdoor gathering space? Natives can be your answer.
Let us help you connect your clients to nature. Contact us
SPECIALTY CROPS
Increase profits and diversify your land naturally
Specialty crops can build profitability for your farm in down seasons. But, it can
also create important habitat diversity. Crops cultivated for food, medicines, or
beauty can be a specialty crop.
Choose a crop based on your interests, the market and the site. Your local
county extension or USDA Rural Information agent can help you decide. They can
also guide you on possible grants, subsidies and reimbursements.
For some, a specialty crop will be a hobby. Others want to create profitable crop yields quickly within the first three to five years. For those, Forrest Keeling’s RPM container-grown materials are the best value. RPM-produced trees and shrubs flower and fruit and grow up to 2x faster. They also show higher establishment success. For certain fruit and nut species, a grafted tree will be best. Grafted specimens usually exhibit earlier production, more uniform quality and consistent yields.
Let us help you plan for production success. Contact us
Specialty Crop Brochure
GROWERS
Jumpstart production, cut finish time, and increase profits
Forrest Keeling can help you grow premium plants faster and increase your profits. We produce 380 varieties as well as custom-grown to meet your needs. Our broad selection plus timely deliveries help you meet budget and market demands.
At each stage, we grade top-quality specimens to bring you the best from nature. From seedlings to our #15 trees, our RPM-produced plants display unsurpassed lateral root mass. This makes for unbeatable transplant success and helps our RPM plants grow faster.
Typical RPM growth takes trees like this from #3 to a #15 in just one year!
Forrest Keeling is proud to be SANC-certified. Our Nursery was the fourth nursery in the U.S. to receive this designation from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The agency’s strict standards ensure consistent quality and healthy plants for consumers.
Our team continues our family’s legacy for excellence and innovation, as well as a seven-decade tradition of personal relationships and commitment to your success.
To learn more about our growers’ program, contact us.