Selvista Plant Nursery

enjoy the dry - plan for wet -

enjoy the dry - plan for wet -

Feel free to send us your wish lists and we can have the info ready for when we release our 2024 inventory. We don’t do deliveries in dry season. Below is an example of our stock and 2023 details.

Find unusual exotic fruits here to plant in your own gardens, grounds, and homesteads.

We specialize in organic edible fruits & attractive ornamentals that are hard to find and proven to grow in Nicaragua

We have carefully carved out a niche collection. If you’re looking for anything special, please let us know; we may have it in small quantities or can probably track it down for you to plant it for the future.

If you’d like to order, kindly fill in the google spreadsheet linked above the prices.

PDF below for reference of pricing

We mainly specialize in the propagation and retail sale of edible fruit trees, ornamentals, and plants suitable for building materials.

They are grown in an open space within our guesthouse property on Isla Ometepe, under the protection of mother nature (and our green-fingered teammates) so that they are prepared and able to face the local environment. We supply nursery plants with suitable conditions necessary for their development & growth ready to face the outside world. We can offer instructions on how to care for them if required.

We produce and distribute woody and herbaceous plants- including ornamental trees, shrubs, succulents, cacti, and vines, all suitable for many parts of the Nicaraguan landscape. Our process uses no chemical pesticides or fertilizers. We cannot account for run-off or contamination from surrounding areas, although we are in a fortunate position with eco-friendly practicing neighbors.

All our plants are hand-grown from seeds or cuttings. We have people well versed in the demands, uses, and optimum conditions for each plant. Feel free to organize a time to have a chat with us and pick up the plants we have for sale or contact us to discuss your needs and arrange delivery.

Selvista Plant Nursery entrance nestled among our guesthouses, Mango House and Jackfruit House.jpg

Delivery service:

Contact us with your location and wish list

All sizes are approximate only.

All subject to availability. Ask us for details on plant care, uses, and our favorite recipes.

Heard of the term Permaculture but don’t know your patterns from your details? Have a look at our introductory page below and see how you can make this design methodolgy and lifestyle change work for you and your land.

Looking for an intensive course to get you on your way with Permaculture Design Principles? Check out our 14-day course that is certified by someone who has taught over 30 courses over several continents. We have one in November 2024 with globally recognized certification.

Chris Shanks demonstrating best permaculture planning practices in the field on Ometepe 2019

Landscaping and consultancy services are available

The owner and proprietor, Chris, has had a lifelong passion for the natural world and her patterns. During his time at university he was introduced to many ideas and concepts concretized into different fields of Ecological design and Natural sciences.

In 1999 he was introduced to Permaculture Design by Ben Falk. Since that fateful time, Chris has passionately pursued a life of work, design, self-study, and right livelihood by teaching, practicing, and creating businesses that espouse the principles and ethics of Permaculture Design.

Chris has practiced Permaculture Design year after year faithfully on his home site, Project Bona Fide and Selvista Guesthouses since late 2002. During that time he created this thriving, diverse area full of unusual and native fruiting trees and ornamentals.

He was a young junior teacher and part of Bona Fide’s first Permaculture Design Course in 2003, an apprentice teaching with Douglas Bullock, trained by Bill Mollison himself. He has taught over 30 full Permaculture Design courses, founding PDC programs at Project Bona Fide, Nicaragua, The Island School, the Bahamas, and Rancho Mastatal in CR. Chris has been fortunate to teach at sites in Thailand, Hawaii, and at the Green School/Kul-Kul farm in Bali, Indonesia.

He is available for personalized consultations on the best plants for your conditions and needs. See his services and contact him here.

His primary expertise lies in the tropics and encompasses all manners of site design from homestead to institutional scale. Chris has built and advised in the design and build of many farms, eco-boutique hotels, BnBs, and educational institutions all over the tropical belt of the world.

In addition, Chris has extensive ethnobotanical plant knowledge, Permaculture Business Development skills alongside water systems, and self-reliance skill sets.

To set up an appointment, site visit, or remote consultancy contact us here at We Plan for the Good:Life

His local team is headed by Nemer Rocha, a local landscape artist that has worked on orchards, fruit forests, salad gardens, highly landscaped private homes and rental accommodations, guesthouses, hotels, resorts and eco-lodges throughout Nicaragua’s coastline and islands. He specialises in irrigation systems and regenerating spent and exhausted land ready for planting.

Need more info or guidance?

You can reach us on Whatsapp of fill out the form below and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible.

We also offer services in design, installation and maintenance of buildings and grounds.

See our full range of services at good:life/Services

Why not make a weekend out of it and come and see all that we have to offer for yourself? You can have a chat with us in person and see how our permaculture principles work in practice and get some great ideas for your own property.

We offer discounted stays for residents and locals in the low season.