Dr. Iara Lacher knows a thing or two about native plants. For nearly twenty years, she has been an advocate and educator, utilizing her degrees in Botany, Environmental Science and Management, and Ecology to promote and spread awareness of sustainable gardening.
Iara officially established Seven Bends Nursery in 2019, starting with just a few hundred plants in the backyard. Located in Berryville, Virginia, Seven Bends has grown into a full-scale native plant nursery focused on sustainable horticulture and ecosystem-based landscaping.
“I am an ecologist and conservationist at heart, and so I am interested in how I can positively impact our world through research or even daily actions like gardening,” said Iara. “Native plants provide a relatively accessible way for most people to contribute to their local environment, rewarding us with bumblebees, butterflies, and birds in return.”
She added, “We decided to focus on native plants as a nursery because I could not find what I needed for my own garden. I would scour nurseries and plant fairs looking for species, and I did not think it should be this difficult. So, I started growing them myself, had too many, and then sold a few to my friends. It spiraled from there. I realized the lack of supply in our area had nothing to do with lack of demand, and so the business was born.”
The Seven Bends team first came across Rimol Greenhouse Systems through social media , as well as through recommendations from fellow growers. “We initially chose Rimol because of the quality of the materials and the ability to build a greenhouse that suited our unique needs. I realized in the first few conversations that we also happened upon a business that took their customer service seriously, something our business also places significant value in,” said Iara.
In late 2023, Seven Bends Nursery purchased their 30’ x 72’ Nor’Easter High Tunnel. “This was our first major purchase for our fledgling nursery, so we were pretty nervous about making the right decision. Rimol was proactive and receptive when finding the right design and specifications for us, which helped us feel confident,” shared Iara.
Seven Bends received their structure in the summer of 2024 and decided to take on the build themselves. “When it came to the actual construction, we were similarly anxious,” said Iara. “But, the directions were well-organized and the parts were amazingly labeled, making finding the pieces manageable.”
“Even with the excellent instructions, we had a ton of questions about the specific techniques needed to complete many steps and ended up calling Rimol Support – Dan Birnstihl – repeatedly. Dan was always super helpful and patient with all of those questions, and I left feeling confident and able to complete each step.”
Seven Bends is now using their Rimol Greenhouse to germinate thousands of native plant seeds. The high tunnel provides an environment for the plants to germinate and develop strong root systems, so they can be transplanted outside earlier in the spring. The greenhouse also protects the seedlings from destructive squirrels and groundhogs.
As the nursery continues to grow, Seven Bends has a goal of becoming a community hub for those interested in learning about native plants and environmental conservation. “We are having a grand opening event in April 2025 that will include several local organizations that share conservation and education as a part of their mission. We are very excited about a future where we can get more involved within our community, including partnering with local groups to advance our shared mission and collaborating on research that bridges the gap between science and the public.”
If you are in the Northern Virginia region, be sure to stop by Seven Bends to say hello and see their array of beautiful native plants! Learn more at https://www.sevenbends.org/ or follow along on Instagram @sevenbends.
