By Andrea Thunem reporting for Native Plant News
Today we have good reason to cheer. For almost 75 years, the vision of the North Carolina Native Plant Society has been to promote and conserve approximately 2,900 North Carolina native plants (N.B. This figure does not include subspecies and varieties) as essential components of resilient ecosystems. Today our advocacy has more impact, thanks to years of grassroots advocacy and the leadership of key government officials. A step in the right direction.
New policies, some state and some city, now formally codify specific uses of native plants, acknowledging their crucial importance. These policies will boost a nursery marketplace that increasingly recognizes consumer demand for native plants. As the benefits of native plants become more widely understood, a wide range of groups is paying attention. One example is the NC Department of Agriculture that recently requested a plant list from the North Carolina Native Plant Society. The NCNPS list was developed by several members and it names more than 200 North Carolina native plants that are suitable for planting, plants that should be easier to propagate than some others. The list has regional representation as well.
What we can do now
We can learn more about native plants. Being an NCNPS member gives us access to people, plants, opportunities, and references. One of the benefits of being a member is access to hard-to-find plants through frequent members-only sales, auctions, and exchanges.
When we work with, rather than against, natural systems and cycles to protect and conserve native plants, it’s a surefire way to strengthen ecosystems and the economy.
How the State of North Carolina did it
How the City of Greensboro did it
What nurseries and landscapers are doing
An updated list of where to buy native plants is available on the North Carolina Native Plant Society website.
It’s all cheer-worthy and makes us hopeful.
Andrea Thunem is managing editor of the North Carolina Native Plant Society’s Native Plant News and a member of the NCNPS Southern Piedmont Chapter. A retired journalist and landscape designer with a passion for native plants and environmental sustainability, she loves working with people to present their stories about the holistic nature of plants, people, earth, and connections. Email her at newsletter@ncwildflower.org.