Native Plants
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Q. Who is Mr. Smarty Plants?
A: There are those who suspect Wildflower Center volunteers are the culpable and capable culprits. Yet, others think staff members play some, albeit small, role. You can torture us with your plant questions, but we will never reveal the Green Guru's secret identity.
Did you know you can access the Native Plant Information Network with your web-enabled smartphone?
Ask Mr. Smarty Plants is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.
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Saturday - March 28, 2015
From: Huntingtown, MD
Region: Mid-Atlantic
Topic: Best of Smarty, Non-Natives
Title: Advantages of using native plants
Answered by: Nan Hampton
QUESTION:
Hello. My question is not about a specific plant but a more general question about natives. I am writing a research paper and am interested in finding seminal research that explains why we should use natives. Can you make any suggestions?ANSWER:
If I interpret your request correctly, you are looking for peer-reviewed articles in scientific journals that support the use of native plants rather articles that list the advantages of using native plants. There are many of the latter and all one needs to do to find them is the enter a Google search of "research supporting advantages of native plants" or something close to that. Doing a Google search as described above I did find these articles of interest:
- Summary of Functional Benefits of Native Plants in Designed and Natural Landscapes by Brendan Dougherty and Dan Shaw, from the Minnesota Board of Water & Soil Resources that does give a list of publications related to the advantages of native over non-native plants and landscaping.
- Landscaping with Native Plants: Quantification of the Benefits of Native Landscaping Current Knowledge from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
There are other articles you can find using this search method, too, but you could also go to a local library (university libraries are the best source) to use scientific databases (such as AGRICOLA, the database of the US Department of Agriculture's National Agricultural Library).
More Non-Natives Questions
Non-native banana plants dying back in Rocklin CA
March 15, 2010 - I bought a home last July in Rocklin, CA that had several banana plants growing in the yard. They died back during the winter frost. We pruned them back to the ground and placed mulch over the top. ...
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Edible plants beginning with I, T, X and Z in Colorado
March 26, 2009 - My friend would like to know a fruit or vegetable that he would plant in his garden and come back yearly. The plants would have to start with the letters I,T,X, & Z. It has to be edible, of course.
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How to eradicate non-native invasive Houttuynia cordata from Muskogee OK
March 20, 2011 - I have planted a very invasive plant called houttuynia and cannot get rid of it! It is very stinky and the stems break off easily at the roots. I cannot dig it up anymore - it is all over in my flow...
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Failure of non-native mock orange to bloom
June 12, 2008 - We have a mature mock orange shrub that is very healthy but has not bloomed at all. What can we do?
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Pruning drought-stressed butterfly plants from Kerrville TX
August 22, 2011 - Due to the drought, our butterfly bushes have dead branches. Ordinarily we prune the dormant plants in winter, but can we cut back dead branches now?
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