I’m sure many of you may have heard of the popular movement towards planting “natives” to replace plants considered either invasive, or just non-native. In addition to their horticultural and aesthetic value, native plants support healthy ecosystems by providing habitat and food for wildlife, as well as helping to prevent water runoff and improving air quality. Additionally, they are specially adapted to local growing conditions, meaning they often require less watering, soil amendments or pest management.
Yes, planting natives in the garden is a very worthy effort for your garden and the environment. To assist the newcomer learning about natives, I would like to discuss some of the terms that you may encounter at your local nursery when you begin designing your native garden space. Namely, I would like to address the differences between a “straight species” and a “cultivar.”
A straight species is a native plant in its original, wild form, without any genetic modification by human breeders. It is open-pollinated, meaning it reproduces naturally from seed, which contributes to its genetic diversity. The straight species provides reliable food and habitat for local wildlife, which have co-evolved with this particular plant over millennia. The straight species, with its rich genetic diversity, allows for natural adaptation to pests, diseases, and climate change. A straight species tag at the nursery will be labeled only with its scientific name (genus and species,) such as Cephalanthus occidentalis (common buttonbush).
A cultivar, on the other hand, is a plant that was bred by humans for desirable traits like different flower colors, sizes, or shapes. These plants are still considered native but have been cultivated for garden qualities. They are often propagated through cloning (taking cuttings or divisions), so that all plants are genetically identical to the parent. A cultivar can have less predictable ecological value, such as having flowers that may block pollinators from reaching the pollen and nectar. The tag for a cultivar at the nursery has a third descriptive name in single quotes, such as Cephalanthus occidentalis Buttonbush ‘Sugar Shack’.
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Besides understanding the difference between straight species and cultivar, it is important to understand the type of environment each native plant originated from. Plants at the nursery may be tagged native, yet they may have developed from a completely different environment than your backyard. A native plant from the Sparta region of New Jersey would likely be very different from a native plant from the Princeton or Toms River region. Particular native plants in particular regions, like coastal plains or forests, have thrived for thousands of years in the particular soils, light and moisture conditions of that region. Before making your native purchase, consider if the choice of native is suitable for your property.
For anyone truly interested in taking a deep dive into the world of our region’s native plants and cultivars, I encourage you to consider a tour of the Mt. Cuba Center in Hockessin, Delaware. It is open to the public from April through November. For more than 20 years it has been evaluating native plants and related cultivars for horticultural and ecological value, highlighting the ecosystem services native plants provide.
Discussing Mt. Cuba’s mission, Jeff Downing, Mt. Cuba’s executive director, tells us that they study native plants to inform home gardeners and the horticulture industry about plants that are most likely to succeed in gardens and provide attractive food sources for wildlife. He goes on to say that their mission is meant to take the guesswork out of plant shopping by identifying plants that have performed well over several years of close observation.
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Straight species and cultivars of both commercial agriculture and landscape plants for the nursery trade are studied at the Rutgers School of Agriculture & Environmental Sciences. New Jerseys’ commercial agriculture business relies on the plant breeders of Rutgers University and their work with cultivars. These plant scientists work to develop desirable traits in cultivars for crops like blueberries, peaches, and strawberries to improve traits like yield, taste and disease resistance, benefiting local agriculture.
At the same time, other Rutgers plant breeders work to provide an extended knowledge of natives for the nursery trade as well as helping the home gardener. Landscape plant cultivars are studied for enhanced features, such as brighter colors, deer resistance, salt tolerance, or other desirable traits, such as if a cultivar is as attractive a food source as their wild counterparts. Supporting wildlife is a key aspect for plant scientists in determining the value of a cultivar.
Until evidence supports a cultivars’ ability to support wildlife, like its straight species counterpart, a straight species plant will almost always be preferred. This is because it offers the most benefit to the local ecosystem. Their wild characteristics ensure they provide consistent and reliable resources for local wildlife.
For more information on native plants go to njaes.rutgers.edu/fs1140/, njaes.rutgers.edu/fs1353/, jerseyyards.org/jersey-friendly-plants/native-plants/.
This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: Everything you need to know about NJ native plants | Gardener State