Native Plants Can Help Gardeners Save Water, Says UF Expert

March 12, 2002

FORT PIERCE, Fla. — Gardeners in drought-prone Southeastern states may want to “go native” this spring and beautify yards with native plants requiring little irrigation, says a University of Florida horticulturalist.

“Plants that occur naturally in an ecosystem are adapted to the local temperature and rainfall patterns, so they generally require less maintenance,” said Sandy Wilson, an assistant professor of environmental horticulture with UF’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences. “They’ve also adapted to soil conditions and generally have fewer pest problems.”

In Florida, botanists consider plants native if they were present in the state before the mid-16^thcentury, when the first Spanish colonists arrived, Wilson said.

Once overlooked in the marketplace, the plants are catching on with environmentally aware gardeners and landscapers, she said. Florida and other Southeastern states have faced unusually dry conditions in recent years, leading to water-use restrictions and debates about the practicality of using high-maintenance ornamental species in the landscape.

“The only disadvantage to native plants is that many species are hard to find in retail stores,” said Wilson, at UF’s Indian River Research and Education Center. “But by promoting their use for the home landscape we can increase demand, giving growers and retailers incentive to carry them.”

Some of the best-selling Florida plants include bald cypress, saw palmetto, Walter’s viburnum, coontie, Simpson’s stopper and yaupon holly, said David Chiappini, co-president of the Association of Florida Native Nurseries and owner of Chiappini Farm Native Nurseries in Melrose.

“In my experience, you find few native plants carried by large chain stores in Florida and other parts of the country,” he said. “But independent nurseries sometimes specialize in them. When customers see an unfamiliar plant, the first thing they want to know is how to care for it, so retailers must decide if they’re willing to invest the time to train their employees.”

Wilson said more than 600 Florida species are commercially available. The state’s native plant industry accounted for $101 million in sales in 2000, according to a just-completed UF study. Florida has the third-largest number of native plant species in the nation, after California and Texas.

Nationwide, interest in native plants is rising, thanks to a broader trend toward exploring and preserving America’s natural heritage, said Robert Breunig, executive director of the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center in Austin, Texas.

“Native plants provide the foundation for a healthy ecosystem,” Breunig said. “They cleanse the air and water, hold soil in place, provide food and cover for animals and do all these things naturally.”

Founded in 1982 by former first lady Lady Bird Johnson and actress Helen Hayes, the center serves as a national clearinghouse for native plant information, he said. The center’s Web site, located atwww.wildflower.org, allows users in all 50 states to identify native plants and find local sources for plants and seeds.

Though native species can be found in the wild, Chiappini said plant lovers are better off purchasing them from dealers.

“You can get into trouble collecting plants,” he said. “You can’t remove them from state or federal land without a permit, or enter privately owned land without permission. Some species can’t be possessed at all without a permit. It’s not worth the risk.”

Wilson said people don’t always realize native plants can add color to the landscape. “Some of them are breathtaking,” she said.

One of Wilson’s favorites is Simpson’s stopper, named one of 12 plants of the year for 2002 by the Florida Nurserymen & Growers Association. An evergreen with small, glossy leaves, colorful bark, fragrant white flowers and bright red berries, it can be grown as a shrub or small tree.

Wilson became interested in promoting native plants while researching exotic species to determine whether they have the potential to become invasive, she said. Plants are considered invasive if they reproduce unchecked in areas where they do not occur naturally, pushing out native species and adversely affecting the ecosystem.

“Most exotic ornamental plants don’t become an invasive problem in natural areas, but some do,” she said. “Last year, the state of Florida spent $127.6 million to control invasive exotic species. Learning this made me appreciate our native plants more, and I wanted to share that knowledge with other people.”

Wilson teaches a college course on landscaping with native plants, which will soon be offered statewide via UF’s distance education program.

“I tell my students that the key to successful native gardening is choosing plants that fit into the natural plant community of your location,” she said. “For example, plants native to wetlands won’t do well in elevated dry landscapes, and species native to inland areas may not be salt tolerant.”