Paul James on Native Plants
HGTV host Paul James - "The Gardener Guy" - weighed in with a Q and A on the subject for his followers. [Transcript from an episode of his show "Gardening by the Yard."]
QUESTION
Exactly what are native pants and why are they all the rage?
PAUL: Those are excellent questions. Now strictly speaking, a native plant is one that's been growing here– that is, in the United States – since before the European settlers arrived. But there are purists out there who insist that a truly native plant is one that's been growing within 50 miles of a given area for at least 300 years.
All other plants, including many if not most that are growing in your gardens right now, are considered non-native or exotic, even if they've naturalized in fields or along roadsides for centuries without cultivation.
As to why native plants are all the rage these days, well, I think much of it has to do with the mistaken notion that native plants will grow well without any effort on our part and I'm here to tell you that just ain't so. Generally speaking, native plants require just as much time and attention as well-adapted non-native plants and in some cases they actually require even more care.
Besides, if you eliminated all non-native plants from your landscape you wouldn't be able to grow and enjoy many of today's most popular plants – from azaleas to Japanese maples to fescue to all but three vegetables.
So as I've said before, I think the renewed interest in native plants is great, but I think the best-looking gardens are those that, like me, contain a mix of natives and non-natives. For, you see, I'm both native and non-native. Some of my ancestors were here before European settlers arrived, namely the Cherokee Indians, while others hailed from Great Britain, maybe even Spain and who knows where else. Of course, these days I just consider myself an Okie, and I'm okie-dokie with that.
Paul James is a Master Gardener and proponent of organic gardening techniques. His shows are taped primarily in his Tulsa, Oklahoma garden.