As the large snowflakes fell Saturday morning, eager native plant shoppers filled the parking lot at Runge Nature Center in Jefferson City.
The 11th annual event is on the fourth Saturday of March come rain or shine - or snow.
"The snow is a nice reminder that these plants are adapted to our native climate," said Carol Davit, executive director of the Missouri Prairie Foundation.
The prairie foundation took responsibility for the Grow Native program from the Missouri Department of Conservation in 2012. The last two years, the Runge center has partnered with the Grow Native program for its plants sale, said naturalist Trana Madsen.
Reaching private land owners is important to the conservation effort, Madsen said.
"We want them to understand what was here before settlement," she said. "This is my favorite event."
Through awareness and education efforts on the part of several organizations in the last several years, interest in planting natives has grown, organizers and growers agreed.
"We're lucky in Missouri; people place a high value on wildlife and natural communities," Davit said.
Only 7 percent of U.S. land is undisturbed. So, putting native species back into the built environment is crucial, she said.
Many native plant gardeners choose plants that attract birds and butterflies. Others like the low maintenance the hardy plants require.
For Saturday shoppers like Marcia Smith, the sale allowed them to stock up on coneflowers and other natives to fill home landscape beds.
Smith and her husband, Mike, removed six mature thornbushes from the front of their Jefferson City home. Because they had success with natives in another flower bed, they decided to pull out the shrubs and fill the spot with colorful natives.
"They don't need water, and they tolerate the heat," Smith said.
The new bed will be in view of her porch, where she enjoys reading during the summer.
"(Natives) will help hummingbirds and butterflies come to our yard, where I can watch them."