We are Kinseed Ecologies
Biodiversity runs in our family (and yours)
We love plants. At KinSeed, we honour native plants as our family, within our ecologies. We’re dedicated to making sure people have everything they need to protect, respect and connect with native plants in their lives. This philosophy is at the heart of everything we do.
Our Business
What we do
We invite the wonder of native plants into communities and reunite ecological connections in outdoor spaces of any size. To do this, we sell plants and seeds, and consult others on how to bring native plant diversity forward. Our goal? To sow resilience for the future. This is not just our work; it is our way of life.
Our seed-sized set up
We are a small, home-based company located in the West Kootenay of British Columbia. All of the seeds and plants we offer are wonderfully local: from here, for here. Without a retail outlet, we operate right from our garden micro-nursery and seed orchard.
Our Philosophy
We take inspiration from the plant communities around us. Plants are animate beings, with their own needs, behaviours, intrinsic values—this timeless knowing grounds our work. We value the interrelationship of all living things and respect the central role of native plants in nature.
Our Story
KinSeed grew out of a lifelong love for nature.
As kids, we took joy in the wonders of wild spaces. This childhood awe turned into a passion for native plants, which blossomed in university with the help of our respected botany mentors. Over time, we began to see plants a little differently. Not only do we view them as a means to pretty-up a place, we also see native plants as beings, teachers, kin. This evolution in thinking and relating led us onto the path we are still on today.
Empower the wild flower
We have long worked alongside seeds and plants. As we researched West Kootenay ecologies and spoke with people at garden events or our workshops, we noticed a pattern: people longed to grow native plant communities, but often didn’t know how or where to start.
Reunite lost relations
To answer the growing call for native plant literacy and source-identified seeds and plants, KinSeed Ecologies was born—and officially opened in 2020. Our dream of accompanying people on their journey to native plant awareness is coming true. Intentionally local, we make it possible for West Kootenay gardeners, plant enthusiasts, and restoration practitioners to rekindle relations with native plants, from their true source.
Our namesake
Just how a tiny seed unfurls secrets to life, so too did our wild-at-heart garden companion Kinsey.
Where We Gather & Grow
Azure meadows of camas, grassy hillsides with brown-eyed Susan—the ecological diversity of the West Kootenay nurtures a bountiful array of beings, including bees, butterflies, and birds.
Of course, people root here too. Our towns and neighbourhoods offer connection points to ecologies around us. What makes relationships possible? The presence of native plants, their incredible place-knowing.
West Kootenay
Most of our seeds and plants originate in the West Kootenay. However, with current and future climates in mind, we’ve started to incorporate species from a little farther afield—plants we know will do well in the West Kootenay garden for years to come.
East Kootenay, Boundary & Beyond
We also connect with people, plants, and projects outside of our regular working area, and have taken part in numerous projects across the Kootenay region.
Cultivating change...
Ethical and professional values
Honouring Relations Among People, Plants & Landscape
We are grateful for the deep-rooted connections the Sinixt, Sylix, Ktunaxa, Secwepemc, and Kalispel have with the plants who call the West Kootenay landscape home. Our practices are embedded within the ecologies informed by western scientific traditions, and are deeply aligned with Indigenous knowledges: in everything we do, we honour the reciprocal relationships people have had, and continue to have, with native plants and other beings.
Gathering Guided by Ethics
Our seed collection practice is guided by international standards and protocols, and supported by our research. Our ethics ensure our seeds are 100% ecologically-responsible, and always collected with the plant community’s well-being in mind.