Research shows that bringing back native plants is more important than ever
By Carol Sitarski, Master Gardener Volunteer, Cornell Cooperative Extension Allegany County
For many years gardeners have been going to nurseries every Spring and Fall looking for the right plant to place in their gardens. Little thought was given about where they came from or how they would affect the ecosystem where the plant would eventually grow. Many invasive plants have been introduced this way but now the tables are turning. As gardeners, we are responsible for good land ownership, and as such gardeners need to be aware of bringing back NATIVE PLANTS to our areas. Research now shows the importance of this for many reasons, in this article, I will explain exactly what a native plant is, and hopefully, this will help with your future plant purchases.
- Native plant: This is a plant that has evolved naturally in a specific region or ecosystem over a long period of time. They are also known as indigenous plants.
- Geographic qualifier: The term “native” should also be used with a geographic qualifier, such as “native to New York.”
- Time of arrival: In the United States a plant is considered a native if it was present before European colonization. On the East coast that is the 1500’s and on the West coast before 1769.
- Hybrid plant: Not native anywhere as it was created in a propagation program usually crossing two or more species of plants to get desired characteristics from these plants in one new plant. They will not reproduce true seeds and need to be cloned to reproduce. (Note: seeds from hybrid plants can grow, but they will have different characteristics from the original plants (plant parents), not from the hybrid variety, which means that they may grow and look different than the hybrid plant).
- Cultivar vs Variety: A cultivar is a plant selected, bred, and cultivated by humans for specific characteristics. Seeds will not reproduce identical to the parent plant. The plant will also have a cultivar name, a trademark ™, or a registered symbol ®. A variety will develop on its own, varieties are naturally occurring or spontaneously arisen variations within a species, and they can be found in both wild and cultivated populations.
- Naturalized: Refers to a non-native species that is growing on its own in nature. It may have originated as a garden escapee, agriculture escapee, introduced to new areas by animals, or an accidentally introduced weed.
I hope this helps in your future plant purchases and gardening projects. And as always, if there are any questions regarding this or other gardening topics be sure to contact your local Cornell Cooperative Extension office.
