What is a “native plant”?

A plant species is considered native to an area if it was already present in that area in pre-colonial times. Nativity is most commonly assigned on the level of counties and states. Even if a plant is native in one state, it may still be considered an introduced species in another state.

For example, the California Poppy (Eschscholzia californica) is native to many Western states. However, through its frequent inclusion in “wildflower” seed mixes, introduced populations have escaped cultivation throughout the continental US, including many states where the poppy is non-native.

Do you only sell plants that are native to Virginia?

While most of the plants we sell are native to Virginia, we do sell some species that are not native to Virginia, but are native to one or more adjacent states: Maryland, West Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, and North Carolina. We believe this provides an expanded plant palette for gardeners to utilize, while still offering species that will have a broad overlap with local wildlife species that are adapted to those plants.

What is an “ecotype” and why is it important?

An ecotype is a genetically distinct population within a species that is adapted to a specific environment. Those adaptations allow that ecotype to thrive in conditions where other ecotypes might not fare as well.

For example, New England Aster (Symphyotrichum novae-angliae) is native to nearly all of the Eastern US as well as much of the Midwest, reaching as far west as New Mexico. Obviously, the growing conditions in New Mexico are quite different from those in Minnesota or in Virginia, but there are natural populations of New England Aster which have adapted to grow in each area with different genetic traits.

This affects not only traits like water requirements, soil preference, and disease resistance, but also the timing of a plant’s life cycle. Asters grown from seed collected in Minnesota will flower so much earlier than the native Virginia ecotypes that Monarch butterflies cannot fully utilize their nectar and pollen resources during fall migration.

By growing plants of a local ecotype, we give our plants the best chance to succeed in our climate and ensure that the natural life cycle of the plant is in sync with the needs of local wildlife.

What is a “straight species”?

A straight species is the wild type of a plant; it is the form of the plant that can be found growing in habitat and has not been selected through breeding or cultivation. This is in contrast with cultivars, which are plant varieties which have been bred or propagated in cultivation in order to maintain specific desired traits.

The easiest way to tell straight species and cultivars apart is by looking at their labels. Straight species Aromatic Aster will be labeled as Symphyotrichum oblongifolium, its scientific name. Aromatic Aster labeled as Symphyotrichum oblongifolium ‘October Skies’ is a cultivar, with the name of the cultivar, October Skies, being written in single quotes following the scientific name.

What are the pros and cons of using cultivars?

Cultivars are bred or selected by humans for various desirable traits, which differ from cultivar to cultivar. Some of these traits are purely aesthetic in nature, such as breeding for a novel flower color or variegated foliage. Benefits of cultivars can include:

-Longer bloom time, e.g. Helenium ‘Kanaria’.

-Smaller mature size, e.g. Eutrochium dubium ‘Little Joe’.

-More compact habit, e.g. Liatris spicata ‘Kobold’.

-Disease resistance, e.g. Monarda fistulosa ‘Claire Grace’.

-Less aggressive spreading, reseeding, or suckering, e.g. Panicum virgatum 'Shenandoah'.

However, cultivars can also come with some drawbacks including:

-Reduced genetic diversity. Many cultivars are produced by vegetative propagation and are clones of the parent plant. Low genetic diversity can make plants more vulnerable to novel diseases and also reduces their long term adaptability to changing conditions.

-Reduced ecological value, depending on an individual cultivar’s traits. Traits like double-blooms and altered foliage color (e.g. red or variegated leaves) are known to be of low or no wildlife value compared to straight species.

The long term ecological impacts of using cultivars are still largely unknown, which is part of the reason why the Virginia Native Plant Society recommends using straight species over cultivars when possible.