Did You Know Who Coined the Term "Nativar"?

 Posted by: Linda Langelo, Horticulture Specialist, Golden Plains Area Extension

                                                Photo Credit: Wikipedia

Allan Armitage, author of Armitage's Garden Perennials, horticulturist and  professor at Georgia University coined the term "nativar" "to show customers that the industry was offering what they wanted: garden plants developed from documented native sources, known in the scientific community as  genotypes" from "What's in a Nativar?" by Carol Becker. A nativar is a cultivated variety of a native plant that some ecological value in the  environment. Nativars can be a native plant that is a genetic variant found in  nature. That plant is then selected and propagated to retain a particular or  unique aspect. Nativars can also be obtained through the process of artificial selection in which plant breeders grow plants with desirable characteristics and eliminate those with less desirable characteristics according to Wildones.org. According to Ryan McEnaney, Bailey Nurseries' Communications and Public Relations Specialist, "Nativars allow us to retain the ecological benefits of native species while making them adaptable and accessible for a modern landscape. Whether that means a more compact size, cleaner foliage, better color, or a tidier appearance, nativars solve problems that can arise with the genotype." At your  nurseries and greenhouses, you may be finding more compact sizes of favorite native plants with bigger blooms and better color with more disease resistance. The next question is to plant or not to plant? According to Mary Phillips of the National Wildlife Federation, it is good to plant 80% native plants and 20%  cultivars or nativars so that specialist feeders still get what they need to survive.  Doug Tallamy, American entomologist, ecologist,conservationist and author  recommends that using  70% native plants and 30% cultivars or nativars is good. Though Phillips and Tallamy might differ in percentages, the higher the percent  of native plants the better.  Let's look at Echinacea purpurea 'White Swan' for a moment. It is a nativar because it is a cultivated variety of the native species with a white flower. It is a plant that lives a long time. Another new nativar of Echinacea is 'Snow Cone' another white flowering coneflower with a compact size  up to 2 1/2 feet for the front of a perennial border. With Echinacea  alone there are many new nativars to choose to add to your perennial areas.                                              Photo credit: Mt Cuba Center With some nativars, they will feed the indigenous pollinators while being  resistant to fungal issues, disease and insects. The cultivated plants  have larger, more color-saturated corollas which are more enticing to  insects and hummingbirds according to Catherine Winter of  Morningchores.com in her article, "What are Nativars and Are They  Beneficial or Detrimental?" The key to a healthy landscape is the same thing the doctor might say to  you about moderation and balance in your diet. (Too bad chocolate  isn't a vegetable.) Apply that in the landscape. Doing so brings about diversity. If you have all lilacs and daylilies, if a disease or an insect comes on your property and attacks the daylilies, then you have lost a great deal of your landscape. Using a variety of plants keeps your  landscape healthy. Every plant has a purpose and a place.