NARGS membership offers a welcoming community for gardening enthusiasts, with access to exclusive content like the Rock Garden Quarterly, a renowned seed exchange, educational resources, and events hosted both nationally and by local chapters. Whether you’re a seasoned grower or just starting out, NARGS provides inspiration, knowledge, and connection.
Membership Benefits
Here are some of the Benefits of being a NARGS member:
Fellowship - the opportunity to belong to an international association of individuals who have an abiding love of gardening and the study of rare and unusual plants, thus creating a forum for sharing ideas with others for creative and successful ways to grow them.
The Rock Garden Quarterly – a high-quality journal for the novice and expert, targeted at rock gardeners, but of broader interest and rich in color photos. Particular attention is given to the different needs of rock gardeners across the diverse geographical regions of North America. Included are notices of meetings and special events, book reviews, as well as many nursery advertisements.
Seed Exchange – an annual selection of seeds, rich in rarities, donated by members worldwide, many of which are rarely obtainable elsewhere. In addition to the Main distribution, members may order Surplus seeds, and then any leftover seeds are sent to local chapters. Ephemeral seeds are also now available with new storage methods.
Website located at www.nargs.org with electronic copies of all back issues back to 1938 of The Rock Garden Quarterly and its predecessor titles.
NARGS is also represented on Facebook and Instagram, a must for the modern young gardener!
An electronic copy of the "Beginners Handbook" is sent to all new members.
National meetings – a national meeting that is entertaining and highly educational, hosted by local chapters. These meetings have outstanding speakers from all over the world, occasional workshops, and opportunities to hike in alpine areas and visit public and private gardens. There are also sales of rare and desirable plants, and most especially, they are a chance to discuss plants and gardens with other keen gardeners. See where we have held our meetings in the past: History of NARGS Annual Meetings
Virtual Meetings during the winter for all NARGS member ticket holders.
Local Chapters – 32 NARGS-affiliated chapters are active in North America. Chapter events include lectures, garden visits, field trips, demonstrations, and plant sales. Besides a wealth of information, these friendly gatherings also offer a source for unusual plants plus the opportunity to be inspired by other gardeners in your region.
NARGS Traveling Speakers Tour – internationally known speakers brought to all chapters. This provides local chapters the opportunity to hear and visit with outstanding plants people from around the world, presenting talks and workshops.
Book Service – Some gardening books are available from NARGS and book reviews are posted monthly on our website.
Rock garden plant of the month, a long-time feature, is posted monthly on our website.