In my last column, I wrote about the National Arboretum in Washington and the plans afoot to dispose of the Azalea Collection, along with many boxwoods and other perennials. I found out about this on a blog called “Garden Rant”, which has proven to be a source of valuable horticultural information on many topics.
The other day, Garden Rant had a follow-up posting concerning the Arboretum issue. Apparently, there may be a new wrinkle in the situation. A writer named Joel Lerner, in a Washington Post article earlier this month, included this paragraph near the end of the piece suggesting that a preference for native plants may be at work here.
“People who support reducing the number of plant collections at the Arboretum,” writes Lerner, “believe that the garden administration has finally come to its senses and that these changes would allow more native plants to be installed.”
Very interesting. The native plant controversy is one that has been cropping up in horticultural circles for a number of years now. There are factions that believe only native plants should be used in gardens, be they home or botanical. Others argue against this, asking, “what would our gardens be without all the fascinating and beautiful plant introductions of the last two centuries?”
Still others, myself included, feel that there’s room for both kinds of plants in any garden situation. To be sure, there are many things in favor of native plants. They’re generally more adapted to local soil and climate conditions, they tend to be more nectar-rich (a boon for pollinators), and more resistant to pests, disease and drought conditions.
All well and good. However, let’s think for a moment of all the thousands of plants discovered by the great plant explorers, past and present. So many of them have become indispensable to the average gardener, such as delphiniums, Oriental lilies and many of our beloved spring-flowering bulbs. To me, a garden without any of these natives are desired, space can be found for them without tearing out the tried and true. At least one hopes so.
As Garden Rant noted, at least this issue is now out in the open and many people and groups are getting input, which is a good thing. Stay tuned, though — I suspect that this issue is a long way from being resolved. More interesting twists and turns are yet to come.
In my last column, I wrote about the National Arboretum in Washington and the plans afoot to dispose of the Azalea Collection, along with many boxwoods and other perennials. I found out about this on a blog called “Garden Rant”, which has proven to be a source of valuable horticultural information on many topics.
The other day, Garden Rant had a follow-up posting concerning the Arboretum issue. Apparently, there may be a new wrinkle in the situation. A writer named Joel Lerner, in a Washington Post article earlier this month, included this paragraph near the end of the piece suggesting that a preference for native plants may be at work here.
“People who support reducing the number of plant collections at the Arboretum,” writes Lerner, “believe that the garden administration has finally come to its senses and that these changes would allow more native plants to be installed.”
Very interesting. The native plant controversy is one that has been cropping up in horticultural circles for a number of years now. There are factions that believe only native plants should be used in gardens, be they home or botanical. Others argue against this, asking, “what would our gardens be without all the fascinating and beautiful plant introductions of the last two centuries?”
Still others, myself included, feel that there’s room for both kinds of plants in any garden situation. To be sure, there are many things in favor of native plants. They’re generally more adapted to local soil and climate conditions, they tend to be more nectar-rich (a boon for pollinators), and more resistant to pests, disease and drought conditions.
All well and good. However, let’s think for a moment of all the thousands of plants discovered by the great plant explorers, past and present. So many of them have become indispensable to the average gardener, such as delphiniums, Oriental lilies and many of our beloved spring-flowering bulbs. To me, a garden without any of these natives are desired, space can be found for them without tearing out the tried and true. At least one hopes so.
As Garden Rant noted, at least this issue is now out in the open and many people and groups are getting input, which is a good thing. Stay tuned, though — I suspect that this issue is a long way from being resolved. More interesting twists and turns are yet to come.
