I ran across the website for the Ohio Prairie Nursery in Hiram, Ohio, which includes an excellent list of native plants for our area--
http://www.ohioprairienursery.com/products.html#custom
that I thought might be useful to area gardeners.
I have never purchased from this company, but I may order some wildflower seeds this year...
And here is the Ohioline Native Plant list
http://ohioline.osu.edu/b865/b865_12.html
This message was edited Feb 14, 2006 11:57 AM
Ohio Valley Native Plant List
Here another group that is into native plants. They have a chapter very close to me. I just haven't found the time to get to one of their meetings. http://www.for-wild.org/ Is anyone familiar with them?
Shady
I believe Equilibrium who posts on DG is an active member of 'Wild Ones' in Illinois.
Before posting on DG, I was never very interested in native plants and wildflowers, (especially those in Ohio which seem a little dull and even the highway department doesn't care much about growing them on the interstate hwy dividers which is so too bad!), but the more I study them, the more interested I have become--I especially like the color studies with various grasses and forbes...
Oh, well....
I know what you mean, I keep meaning to go to one of there meetings, Which is held at a local park about 15 minutes from my house. I guess I should look into it, now would be a good time to learn more about our native spring flowers.
S
Hi Shadyfolks, tabasco:
I'm not from OH, but I've visited there on DG (and a lot in person too).
And don't let the state/local highway department set the standard for anything associated with plants. Typically the realm of traffic engineers (I have an engineering background, and I work with this profession daily), highway corridors are first and foremost for moving motorized traffic. Everything else is often considered "gilding a lily" and "wasting taxpayer dollars." This is another subject matter, and a very large inert mountain to move.
WildOnes is an enthusiastic group, at least inasmuch as I've been exposed to them here in central KY. I am not currently active per se, but I've not lost the philosophy and connections to the network.
I joined when the first group in KY started, and participated with each chapter as it sectioned off (Louisville and Lexington are each separate chapters; I'm not sure of Frankfort's current status. They might be lumped with one or the other instead of stand-alone).
WildOnes has been an educational and advocacy group for increased knowledge and use of native/indigenous/local plants. It originated up in the northern IL/WI area, and that is still the greatest concentration of chapters and membership, I think. With the website linked, I won't bother more reiteration; details can be sought there.
As with any group, it is a sum of its parts and there can be parts one doesn't like. Sometimes members can stray off-message (as happens here, and in all our lives). That usually ends up taking a partisan political flavor, which breaks down the overall effort. Generally that's not useful, and if you decide to participate/join, make sure that is a regular reminder to the membership, to keep the focus on plants and education. Every local plant used is one less potentially i_v_s_v_ used, and local knowledge gained and appreciated.
Two Louisville members have been past (present?) national board members, and remain very active nationally. The Louisville chapter hosted the 2001 annual conference/meeting, and we had a great time welcoming the "frozen north" brethren. There may even still be record of it on the national website (or the Louisville chapter section).
Valuable things to be gained:
•the opportunity to support like-minded individuals
•share information so everyone isn't always "reinventing the wheel"
•advocating with local municipalities to gradually steer the great "ship of state" away from unintended consequences with plants
•more opportunities to trade/acquire those "gotta have" plants
•knowledge about how local plants and associated local animals, birds, insects, etc. interact and are synergistically interdependent
•PLANT RESCUES
Plant rescues are probably the most rewarding outcome of participating with this kind of group. Untold billions of local plants are simply wiped out every time land is developed. Rather than always be the result, interested people can get out ahead of the bulldozers and give some of these plants a new home. I'm not going to soapbox any further, but you can see where some hands-on participation can lead.
Feel free to dmail me if you'd like to discuss this further.
Thanks, VV for the run down on Wild Ones in Ky and elsewhere. Sounds like a good group that deserves more DG and other media presence.
I still haven't given up on the Highway Department. I noticed West Virginia has a Wildflower Initiative to encourage tourism and travel in WVA and in general improve the state's image. http://www.wvdnr.gov/Environmental/ow/opwild.shtm and http://www.wvdot.com/3_roadways/3c3_wildflower.htm
And I think Ohio could borrow some of that thinking from their neighbor to the southeast. Of course, I now realize it's the WVA DNR's iniative, not their Highway Department!
And WVA even has a highway wildflower calendar contest
http://www.wvdnr.gov/Environmental/ow/owcalendars.shtm
Our garden club is going to tour the wild flower garden at the Ohio Governor's Mansion this spring.
At least the First Lady seems behind the wildflower/native habitat idea--she remodelled the gardens to showcase native plants.
This message was edited Feb 19, 2006 7:48 PM
Here's the Illinois' First Lady's Wildflower Highway Initiative. Seems like she is taking a page from Lady Bird Johnson's book....
http://www.illinois.gov/firstlady/morewfintro.cfm
Viburnum, Thanks for the great information. I bookmarked my local chapter maybe I will make it to one of their meetings this year.
shady
I admire both of your initiatives; go get 'em!
About highway depts: I only meant that they don't change from within easily. They need a really big crowbar applied, maybe backed up by some leverage from the statehouse or gov's mansion. Lots of voters expressing interest and opinions wakes up the sleeping institution as well, especially armed with facts. You are well on your way.
A tiny bit of embarrassment that the Mountaineers, Wildcats, Hoosiers, and Fighting Illini are getting ahead of them might appeal to their sense of competition as well. Tell 'em the plantings were sponsored by competing chapters of professional engineers...