I started a thread looking for native woodies here-http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/585048/
I have a great list going to forward but I now need to do the same thing for herbaceous perennials.
There is a 501 (c) 3 out there in Northern Illinois that would like to redirect their focus back toward Native Plants exclusively for their 2007 Native Plant Sale. They would very much appreciate recommendations of woodies and herbaceous perennials (will start another thread for those) that they can place in front of the Board. It was suggested that it would be nice if people who made recommendations also included why they recommended a plant be included in their next Native Plant Sale.
From this website-
http://www.ill-inps.org/INPS%202006_files/page0010.htm
Gardening with native plants is growing in popularity within North America. The damage caused by exotic invasive ornamental species has threatened the existence of many our native plant species. Good stewardship of our native natural resources includes making wise choices in the landscape materials we purchase. One way to practice good stewardship is through the purchase of plant material that is native to your local region.
There are many benefits of using native plant species in your gardening and landscaping projects:
Overall, native plants need less water as compared to non-native exotics.
Native plants require fewer chemical pesticides.
Native plants require little to no fertilizer and can respond negatively to fertilizer application.
Native plants attract beneficial wildlife including birds and pollinating insects.
Native plants are aesthetically pleasing.
Growing native plants adds biological and genetic diversity to the domestic landscape.
That being said, this organization would be interested in the whys behind which a plant is being recommended.
Example:
Bald Cypress (Taxodium distichum)
excerpt from this website- http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/huntwild/wild/species/index.phtml?o=baldcypress&print=true
Bald cypress trees provide habitat for many species. Wild turkey, wood ducks, evening grosbeak and squirrels eat the seeds. Branches provide nesting places for bald eagles and osprey. Rotting knees are used as nesting cavities by warblers. Catfish spawn beneath cypress logs. Bald cypress diffuse and slow floodwaters, reducing flood damage. They also trap sediments and pollutants.
I felt the Director of the organization was sincere when he asked me for a list. They feel they have made a few mistakes in some of the plants they offered for sale and would like to take corrective action. He stated several of the Board Members were new but that they all had a sincere desire to fund raise to better enable them to provide quality educational programming in the community.
My tastes do not represent the buying public so I was sort of hoping people here might suggest a few native herbaceous perennials and collectively the contributions would represent the buying public. This organization is going to need to know which native herbaceous perennials mainstream gardeners would be interested in adding to their properties so that they can have a better shot at offering plants that would have broader appeal.