Since 1983

Groundbreaking Native Plant Nursery delivering high quality plant material with non traditional growing methods

OUR SERVICES

Environmentally focused.
Ecologically minded.

We grow native plants to help communities and individuals increase biodiversity and improve ecological function of their natural spaces, from vast wild areas to small back yards.

READ OUR STORY

The Dedicated Staff Behind Possibility Place

Kelsay Shaw Owner and Botanist

Our botanist and sales consultant. He has a B.S. in Botany from Eastern Illinois University and has been doing work in the industry for more than 25 years. He has taught classes on native plants, lectured about their uses and environmental impacts, as well as handling a bulk of our consulting on projects large and small for our clients. The photos on this web site are largely of his work.

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Tristan Shaw Owner and Nursery Manager

Our Nursery Manager and irrigation guru. He has been working at the nursery for the past 25 years managing our staff and inventing new systems to produce our plants. He has also lectured about the nursery industry on many occasions.

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Stephanie Connor Operations Manager & Lead Propagator

Stephanie joined us in 2015 and has taken charge as our Operations Manager and Lead Propagator. She has a B.S. in Horticulture from Oregon State University and refuses to stop learning and teaching about native plants. She has brought a keen eye for improvement in all that we do here.

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Meghan Schmidt Office Manager

Meghan came on board as our new Office Manager in 2021 and has a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration. She is our main point of contact for all customers and is ready to answer any and all questions to fulfill your ordering and account needs.

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Joe Connolly Field Manager

Joe is our Field Manager, maintaining our largest offerings of trees and shrubs. He came on board in 2022. Joe is as committed to native plants as he is hardworking having previously managed production at a local winery. He maintains his own native perennial and vegetable gardens at home and is a proverbial cornucopia of plant knowledge.

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Maureen Schwer Online Sales Manager

<div class="">Maureen joined us in 2024 as the online sales manager! Maureen has a B.S. in Natural Resources and Conservation Science from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and has worked in the environmental restoration field for 11 years. She loves native plants and sharing the importance of them with as many people as she can.</div>

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Our Founder

Connor Shaw

Connor Shaw founded this nursery in 1983. Starting with traditional balled and burlapped growing methods and common landscaping species, as the company grew, he came to the realization that he wanted to do something other than grow the standard plant species. He wanted to grow something unique that contributed to improvement of biodiversity and function in our local ecosystems. He had no idea that his love of native plants was shared by so many people.

After a lifetime of growing, selling, and speaking out for native plants, Connor has retired from day to day operations at the nursery. Connor has a B.S. in Forest Hydrology and a M.S. in Hydrology. During his first 10 years out of graduate school, he wrote environmental reports on zone changes in the Chicago area. Connor has taught numerous classes and seminars on native plants and nursery production, and has written several articles for various publications.