Operation NICE!™
Operation NICE!™ is a program intended to increase both supply and demand for Texas native plants.
Operation NICE!™ originated with the Boerne Chapter of NPSOT. Members there saw the need to educate the public about which plants are native to their region. The hope was that people would then request these plants from their local nurseries. Demand would then encourage nurseries and wholesalers to seek out and supply native plants.
The NICE!™ Committee at the Boerne Chapter:
- Creates plant lists of potential Plant of the Month (POM) plants.
- Identifies participating nurseries and assigns them a chapter representative.
- Identifies wholesale contacts for availability.
- Selects an individual POM each month.
- Writes and reviews POM care instruction sheets which are provided free with the plants.
- Publicizes the POM through newspaper articles, posters at the nurseries, and other means.
Availability is determined by contacting local wholesalers. This is critical and very time consuming but results in the selection of plants that are currently available in quantities in sufficient sizes and number to supply the participating nurseries. These quantities will vary depending on the type of plant – perennial vs. tree, for instance.
NICE!™ is a local program which originated with the Boerne Chapter, northwest of San Antonio, and has since been adopted by a growing number of other NPSOT chapters. Some of the other participating chapters use the same Plant of the Month chosen by the Boerne NICE!™ Committee and some have adapted the program to their own area.
To see all the plants selected by the Boerne NICE! Committee since the start of the program, visit here. Remember that Texas is a large state with many varied climates. Some of the plants on the list may not be the best choice in every area of the state.
