Resolutions for 2017 – Native Plants

This year I’m trying something a little different for making a New Year’s resolution. I don’t want to have just one semi-ambiguous goal of bettering myself. I want to have a set of attainable, clearly defined goals to better the world around me. These should be a mix of fun, challenging, and maybe even uncomfortable goals.

I’m not going to convert our entire yard into a native haven yet (there are so many quirky, delicious and beautiful plants to grow); however, I do want to learn more about natives to foster an appreciation for them and use them where I can. This will involve reading and exploring nurseries that don’t just grow easy landscaping plants for the masses. A long-standing goal is to continue to develop the bird and insect habitat in our yard, which certainly means incorporating native plants. We already have many natives, and I’ve found myself gravitating towards plants I see in parks and along trails — ferns, coneflowers, black-eyed Susan.  We’ve just planted Nova and York elderberries, and I assume the birds will be profiting far more than we will, as they do from the blackberries. 

For 2017, my resolution is to grow an North Carolina endangered or threatened native plant species in our garden. I’ve been browsing the North Carolina Native Plant Society’s plant lists, trying to narrow the list down to Piedmont, non-wet conditions, and thought this plant would be a noble choice:

(Read more about this plant via the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service – Schweinitz’s sunflower fact sheet.)

It turns out that I can’t find where to purchase seeds! It is so endangered that all the seeds collected from the few populations are being stored for conservation and propagation efforts. So it’s not available to the common gardener. Thus it is back to the drawing board for now. I did say I wanted a challenge. I welcome your suggestions for my Zone 7b, Piedmont, mostly well-draining garden.