Okay, I’ve been really well behaved so far, but that could get boring, don’t ya think? So let me introduce one of my pet peeves in the gardening world – the wanton use of certain new buzzwords, like "native" and "invasive." You’ll hear more on this in future posts but for now let me point out something from the new White Flower Farm catalogue. The description of Amsonia on page 48 describes it as "native to the Northern Hemisphere." Okay, we’ve ruled out Brazil, South Africa and the Australian outback. Now how about narrowing it down to, say, Europe, Asia, the Yukon or the Mid-Atlantic? Help us out here, nurseries. A humongously general description like that might serve to show a company’s political correctness, but does it convey any useful information?
Now if White Flower Farm ever sees this – I know I’m a pain. But take it as friendly customer feedback and tell us more next time, or leave the term to more detailed discussions of plant origin and how information about it might be used by gardeners or others.
And while I’m at it I’ll contribute my 2 bits. Isn’t it really only helpful to know if a plant is native to a particular local area?? Surely "American native" is an equally meaningless description, unless plants have gotten all patriotic — maybe since 9/11?
