“Paw Paw trees want protection from the afternoon sun,” King said. “They are vulnerable in especially in their first few years until they get established.”

King buys seeds for the over 350 plants she grows from many sources. Over the years, she has made friends with other plant lovers who send her seed from their travels around the country. And, she has the talent to grow them into mature plants.

“I also like to grow all kinds of grasses, rushes and sedges,” King said. “I think they are underused in most people’s gardens. These are the plants that birds use for nesting cover and some butterfly caterpillars use for food.”

Elymus Churchii or Church’s Wild Rye grass has recently been identified in Arkansas and King is starting it from seed. She grows other Wild Rye Grass varieties that are available for sale.

King also goes out onto her land and collects seeds.

“Baptesia, thistle, wild azalea, sumac, hydrangea, goat’s rue and milkweed are all seeds that I collected to grow into mature plants for customers,” King said. “Customer requests have led to my growing a lot of the plants I sell.”

King has a personal collection of plants, too, including pineapples she grew by cutting the tops off from grocery store pineapples and planting them.

“We do not collect native plants from the wild and sell them,” King said. “Native plants should be left where they are growing unless they need to be rescued from upcoming construction.”

When King started in 1992, she grew wonderful perennials, loaded them into her truck and tried to sell them to garden centers. At that time garden center owners did not recognize the unique plants in her stock. She joined plant associations and gave talks wherever she could to get the word out.

“By 1997, people started hearing about me, my perennials and native flowers," King said. "People started asking for wax myrtle, other bird habitat and the things I grow. My focus changed to birds and butterflies.”

Other unusual habitat plants available at the nursery include: Umbrella Magnolia, Corkwood, Black Chokeberry, Texas Hibiscus, Saltbush, Swamp dogwood, Buckeye, Hickory, Hornbeam, Wood Vamp, Tree Huckleberry, Devil’s Walking Stick and Wahoo.

“If I have any regrets about the business, it’s that I didn’t start it sooner,” King said. “I hope I never have to retire.”

The Pine Ridge Gardens catalog is online at http://www.pineridgegardens.com and print catalogs are available by subscription three years for $5. The online catalog has a link called, “Selections,” where customers can search for suggested plants by category - butterflies, nectar sources, attracting birds, wetlands and xeriscape.

If you have a chance to walk through King’s extensive garden center, you will realize that the catalog represents only a fraction of the possibilities for your yard.

If you go Pine Ridge Gardens in rural London, Ark., it’s a two and one-half-hour drive from Muskogee. To make an appointment: (479) 293-4359, office@pineridgegardens.com or send a fax to 479 293 4659. A map with driving directions is on the Web site.