Serviceberry- a spectacular Ohio native plant!Supply equals demand: a basic tenet of economics, and it is true in landscape too. If people ASK for native plants at the local nurseries, they will have to start carrying them.
So ASK for serviceberry, elderberry, redbuds, wild cherry, river birch, Ohio native viburnums and dogwoods! And tell those good people working at your local stores about the Wild Ones and our mission to spread the good news according to St. Fiacre, the patron saint of gardeners everywhere!
I made a foray to the local plant-yards in Richland county, and the sales people were surprisingly clueless as to actual native plants, or why folks would want them.
Now I know I am preaching to the choir, but let's get out there and ask for these plants that host the moths, beetles and butterflies of Ohio- 'cause the birds of Ohio want to eat them!
And if you aren't sure which plants we are talking about- go to the Wild Ones link above and sign right up for the Midwest Native Plant Conference. I will look forward to seeing you there!
Here in the UK I think the typical garden centre preys on people's desire to be fashionable with the plants they grow, a desire fuelled by TV gardening celebrities who also endorse a lot of the stuff sold in garden centres. I suppose they stand to make more money by selling a finicky exotic plant than a bomb-proof native. We need the media to get behind native plants then people will love them.
ReplyDeleteHi Rob-
ReplyDeleteI think you have some good points.
In the US, there is a push to hybridize native plants into something "new" that can be patented, which in turn becomes the latest fad, assuring a money trail. After all, how can a grower make money on a plant that can be grown by anyone? :)
OK, I admit I am a cynic....