Native Plants

I am getting ready to open a plant/florist business and have several acres of gardens and woodlands that I am working with. I would like to specialize in Native Plants but am confused on when to use the term "Native Plant". Do most people use the term Native as being Native to the U.S. or Native to their state?

I think different people define it differently, so the best thing to do is be clear about where it's native to so that the people who want northeast natives specifically know which plants are good for them, while people who only care if it's native to the US can buy the others. You might also look around at what other native plant sellers in your area carry...if they all have mostly regional natives, then you may find some people getting annoyed if they come to buy things from you and you have mostly things that are native to other parts of the US. I know if I went to a native plant nursery here in CA and they had mostly things that were native to other states and only a few Calfiornia natives, I'd be pretty upset because the expectation here is that a native plant nursery is going to have a great selection of CA natives (some carry other plants as well, but they always have a large number of CA natives)

Thank you very much for the information. I understand better now but have yet another question. If a plant originated in (or is native to) Japan for instance, but has thrived in the U.S. for hundreds of years, do we call it native to the U.S. or Japan?

There's some disagreement around exactly how long it has to have been here for it to count as native. Personally I feel anything that was here before all the European settlers started arriving would count as native, anything since then counts as introduced even if it's been here for hundreds of years. I'm not sure if that's the most widely accepted viewpoint, hopefully some other people can comment. My policy would be if there's a reasonable doubt then don't call it native (like if you know it came from Japan originally even if it was a few hundred years ago) But there's no reason you have to sell 100% natives, many of the nurseries I go to that specialize in natives also have other things that are well adapted to our climate, but often they're native to Australia or some of the Mediterranean countries. I think the key is if you tell people you specialize in natives, make sure you have a decent selection of them but if there are other plants that do really well in your climate (but not to the point of being invasive of course!) there's nothing wrong with selling some of those too. Especially if it's one of those "semi-natives" that came here hundreds of years ago and has been grown in your area for a really long time.

A great book you might want to read--if you haven't done so already, is 'Bringing Nature Home' by Douglas Tallamy.
His focus is on how native plants co-evolved with our native species and that the non-natives which are displacing natives in our ever-decreasing greenspaces are adversely impacting the rest of the food chain!

Come to think of it, a little 'reference nook' on native plants would be an excellent resource and help customers make decisions when a plant they're considering is not in bloom, or a non-native is not available.

The Brooklyn Botanic Garden has a great little book on common 'invasives' and what to plant instead.

My suggestion would be to put the non-natives in a separate section--and maybe non-regionals, too.
It irritates me to no end when I have to comb through a nursery because they don't have a section devoted to natives.
I understand they do it because the average buyer doesn't care--they just want something that looks pretty, but I have to run all around trying to find the few native offerings that are mixed in with all the other stuff.

. . . deep breath. . . rant over!

Teresa

Just realized you never got an answer to your question about a hypothetical plant from Japan that has grown and thrived here for hundreds of years (please, please don't sell any oriental bittersweet or japanese honeysuckle!).

I think those plants are called 'naturalized' but are not considered to be 'native' and unfortunately many of them go from being naturalized to being invasive--as in the cases mentioned above, as well as things like english ivy, australian phragmites, etc.

Teresa

Hi: I agree with ecrane3. it depends on what you are talking about You can specify a section of native maine plants and then a north easter us natives. I think its up to you and how you want your business set up.
Dave

Thank you all for the information. It looks like I have alot of homework to do!

Zinniagirl-get yourself a couple books on wild plants for your area and region.Those books tell you whether it's native or introduced.

I think most people want native plants from their region. Mainly because they will be more likely to do well. However, it would be interesting to bring in some "borderline" plants. Some Colorado natives are fine in the higher altitudes of New Mexico. Bio- regions, I guess, would be the deciding factor.

Yes! Read "Bringing Nature Home" before you do anything else. I just finished it a few weeks ago, and my easy attitude about "alien" plants (and even native plants from other parts of the country) has changed dramatically.

It will turn you into a raving militant native plant advocate overnight!

I'll still plant some exotic annuals for pleasure, but anything permanent/perennial is going to be local native from now on. We've wiped out so much of the natural food chain, and introduced agressive invasive species into the remaining wild areas, it's the least I can do for the bugs, birds & critters. And the various blights and pests that have wiped out native trees & such (wooly alegids, ash borers) were introduced by way of imported plants. I didn't know that before.

It's up to you whether you decide to be a purist or not. But by adding information and availability to the marketplace, you're doing the right thing. Thanks!

The city nearest me doesn't even have native nurseries. One that used to sell quite a few natives now has drastically reduced those and sells lots of nonnatives. Fortunately, there are still two out in the Hill Country that are native nurseries. You pretty much have to have another steady source of income to run one of those. Nurseries have had hard times around here...the big box stores and the higher cost of raising natives are factors. But collecting seed, occasional plant rescues and exchanging seeds and plants with others interested in natives goes a long way toward preserving the native flora. I like butterflies and try to use natives host plants when I can, but I'm no purist.

Zinniagirl,
Here's a link to the New England Wildflower Society (which I think means native flowers, though not necessarily!), which should also have some good information for you:

http://www.newfs.org

A good place to start--for anyone interested in native plants--is a local Native Plant Society, local Arboretum and/or local Botanical Garden.

The importance of native plant use is slowly catching on. I think and hope that 15 or 20 years from now it will be quite commonplace and ordinary.
Here in our county, when you have certain kinds of grading and construction done you are required to plant native plants in compensation, so landscapers and nurseries are reacting to that, as well as increased consumer demand.

Any time you stop in a garden center, ask to see their native plant section!

Teresa

The information you have been providing is very helpful. I have been using Newcombe's Wildflower Guide to identify plants on the 100 acres of wood land that we have. It has been very hepful in identifying plants however, even though Newcombe tell us what states the plant is found to grow in, I don't take it to mean that it's necessarily native to those areas. More so that the plant has naturalized itself in those areas as soivos mentioned.

Zinniagirl-Maybe you should get another book.The native plants books I have tell in the description if the plant is introduced or natural.

ZinniaGirl:
You may want to offer books to your clients as well. I know as most of us do. We value our books and can never pass up a good one that helps. To me native is something that the rest of the us is going to be seeing more of with all the issues of natural resources becoming more and more scarce. I know florida has a large native plant push as watering lawns has become a rationed event and fines are being issued.
I think you will find that the more you know the more people will seek you out just to learn something new. You may even check to see if there is a native plant club or society in maine. also are there classes affered at any of the tech centers or colleges? If not you may want to do a few classes on site early saturday mornings. It might boost your sales as well.
Just some thoughts
Dave

I would say do what feels right to you Zinnia girl. I live in Portland, Oregon and I love native gardening. I think some of the most fun is to recreate a small niche you have seen in your local ecosystem. I have an area devoted to plants one would find in mid to high elevation, yet sub-alpine wet meadows. Another section is dedicated to the deep shady dells of the Columbia river gorge with trillium, Fritillaria, Erythronium, other native lilies, Calypso and a wide variety of companion plants. My point is that every plant is native somewhere, even if that somewhere is a ways away, you could still create different sub-categories, varying with people's different definitions of whats native. If I only grew plants native to the Willamette valley, my whole yard would be a floodplane covered with different kinds of bullrushes, a few opportunistic hardwoods, some Doug fir and very few really interesting herbaceous perennials and bulbs. Maybe you could define your range as however far someone might travel to see what you have or however wide a range you need to carry interesting native plants. I imagine that Maine has lots of cool stuff. Hey if you come across calpogons, pogonias or any other orchids out there, I'm sure I could fin something you would really like. You know what's right Zinnia Girl, with a name like that, who could find fault.
Respectfully yours;
Slipperman

Almost 5 months has passed since the last post on this thread, but now that growing season is officially over, I wanted to tell everyone who offered their advice that I read and reread this information several times throughout the growing season. Now that I'm getting ready to launch my website, I thought I'd write something up about Native Plants and how different people view the term Native. I think combining some of thoughts all of you contributed would be the perfect answer!

That sounds like a good solution (I just spotted this thread when you bumped it), especially if you are clear about how you'll be using the terms in your website. It might also be helpful if you tag non-natives in their descriptions as "not invasive in the northeast" or "not invasive in my experience" or some such (I'd suggest a disclaimer phrase rather than just stating that a plant is "not invasive," as many plants are invasive in one region but not another).

Alternatively, you could either have a clear policy of not selling known or (in your experience) potential invasives. If you do chose to include some, maybe you could include a clear "may be INVASIVE" in your description.

And please be sure to post a link to your new website on your member page! :-)