Native, Natives, Natives…everyone is talking about using natives. What is a native? To try and state simply, it’s a plant that is widely considered to have grown in a region before too many people moved in and messed with things. In the USA we generally try to go back to a point prior to European contact.
Demand is growing for native plants largely as a reaction to an onslaught of invasive nonnative plants that displace those that have been here for centuries but also due to the growing drum beat of a ‘green’ movement that right or wrong (though mostly right) often points to native plants as more sustainable or environmentally friendly. There is also the interest of preserving local heritage, that is creating or maintaining a place that looks like that place which I think in the hospitality industry is so important. It’s part of the experience, and a reason to travel.

Here is our challenge, we are going to go the world over….starting in the USA and state by state, region by region, country by county, we are going to blog about plants that are native. This project of ours is no small undertaking and I expect it will take some time….years even….but we aren’t going anywhere. We are going to celebrate those natives that aren’t just spindly little roadside weeds, but those that when put in a garden setting are real stars and help us celebrate the place we are in.
I hope you might find yourself inclined to get involved and send us your local favorites and as we move around the world, we will feature them here.