It’s taken more than a decade, but the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has finally released an updated Plant Hardiness Zone Map that spans the nation and the territory of Puerto Rico in such detail that gardeners can now zoom right into their local areas.
It’s incredibly challenging at times to find genetically diverse native plants rather than nativars and cultivar exotics. Depending on where you are, there is likely to be some regulation about the plants that are saleable - I have a 500+ page document outlining all plant material regulations for each US state which covers banned species/listed invasives, requirements for shipping with substrates, and a host of other regulations that govern what plants I’m allowed to ship where, and how.
My advice would be to go to some of the smaller mom & pop nurseries around you (if possible) and ask about how they grow their perennials - do they grow from seed, or from plugs? If from plugs, can they tell you their source nursery? Do they know a grower who focuses their operation on less showy natives, or who does restoration work?
Is there a native plant society in your area? If so, get in touch with or join them. They’re likely to have resources you can draw upon, and more likely to do plant swaps and seed exchanges. If you’re in the US, see if your state has a state nursery you can order plants from. Our state doesn’t have one, but the Master Gardener programs run plant sales to fund their community work and that’s another good way to get native plants with a bonus of supporting the community.
Apologies, i completely forgot to check my inbox! I’m not in the US and we don’t have a lot of nurseries around and nothing that focuses on native, organic plants, or caring about genetics. I was aware of the genetical issues, since i follow some nature blogs that focus on the things happening in our country, for instance the problems with importing tree seeds that seem native, but genetically they are not really, which - or so i heard - is also a problem for our insects.
Thank you for your reply and have a great weekend
No worries! If you’re comfortable sharing your country or region with me I’m happy to ask around in my growers groups for resources for you.
That’s interesting… My understanding is that epigenetic selection impacts success rates (survivability) but that the plants should still be manufacturing the metabolites and exudates for which native animal species rely on them. We’ve ordered seeds from a few different bioregions and still tend to see native insects and birds making use of them, but if you recall where you read about this I’d appreciate the chance to read it.
Hi, it was a long time ago, but i did a search for you and found an article. Unfortunately, it’s in dutch, but maybe you can translate it. I’m sorry, this topic is not my expertise, but i did find it quite interesting. And a bit disheartening, because this info is crucial for people who plant forests, but not for the casual gardener.
As far as looking for resources, that’s a very kind offer, but my garden is filled to the brim! It’s not big, but very wild and i tried to plant some native shrubs that i felt were most beneficial for both insects and birds. (And since literally all birds skip the paved gardens in our neighborhood and flock to our garden to sing, to feed, to mate, to rest and to breed, i would say that we are doing something right :-)
Thank you so much! And yes, it sounds like you’re doing wonderful things for your ecosystem!