For The State Journal

Practically any resident of West Virginia can tell you the Mountain State possesses an abundance of natural resources, such as coal, natural gas, oil and timber. Yet another natural resource seems overlooked, ignored or simply taken for granted: native plants.

The Mountain State has an abundance of flora that is native to the central Appalachians. This plant life provides food and shelter for native fauna, produces beautiful and aromatic blooms, is easy to grow and requires little maintenance. Even so, those wanting to purchase native plants to decorate their flower beds and landscaped areas or reclaim areas disturbed by mining or highway projects may find those plants difficult to find.

Folks interested in promoting and propagating native plants say greater cultivation and use of natives can help restore dwindling wildlife habitats, reduce water use, pollution and erosion, and produce biodiesel fuel and medicine.

“The market for native plants is growing slowly but surely,” said Frank Porter, owner of Porterbrook Native Plants in Racine, Ohio, not far from Ravenswood. “The major task is to inform the public of the benefits of using native plants. They must understand that when you are creating a garden, it must be for other reasons than ornamental flowers. You need to create wildlife habitat and provide blooms for native pollinators.”

Peter Heus, owner of a nursery in Hinton, said most native plant nurseries have had a better year economically than their traditional garden center counterparts.

“It’s a trend that’s growing and getting permanent,” he said. “More and more people have heard about using native plants, particularly to attract wildlife.”

When Heus opened Enchanters’ Garden in 1995, his was “the first nursery of its sort in the state.” Now he knows of three others.

“Mine was the first nursery that grew native plants from the region instead of the usual exotic plants that are mostly from Europe and Asia,” he said. “I decided to focus on the flora of the region because there are many very attractive and desirable plants that are landscape worthy and provide ecological function at the same time, which you cannot get with non-native species.”

Heus said he thought he would do a lot of business in state, but he had to sell products out of state to succeed. “West Virginia is very much behind the curve on native plants, but it is starting to catch up. My business in state is increasing. It is now starting to dawn on the (Department of Environmental Protection), county and state governments that this is a wonderful tool to help reduce pollution, erosion and water use,” he said.

“I am now doing a lot of business to help state agencies. Still, most of my business is in neighboring states.” Native plants are those that are natural to the region and, therefore, well adapted to the conditions where they are placed. Native plants do not require fertilizer, irrigation or pesticides, Porter said.

“Once established, native plant gardens are low maintenance,” he said.

Many non-native species compete with natives for nutrients and space. Many of the worst invasive plants were introduced intentionally.

“Kudzu and multiflora rose were introduced by the government,” Heus said. “Purple loosestrife and Japanese honeysuckle were introduced by the horticulture industry.”

Heus conceded that the last two are visually appealing.

“They are beautiful killers. They destroy habitat.”

And even when “exotics” are not out-competing the natives, they are not adding ecological value.

“Most people don’t realize that the bottom layer of the ecological chain is plants,” Heus said. “Those plants are primarily eaten by insects. Insects form the basic food chain for many vertebrate creatures, particularly birds, reptiles and mammals.

“And our native insects do not utilize non-native species. When landscaping with native plants, your backyard can provide a refuge for many dwindling species, particularly birds and butterflies.”

Even with all the benefits of natives and all the ecological damage caused by invasives, movement away from non-native species is coming about slowly.

“People get really frustrated because these large landscapers and retailers keep pushing non-native plants. But the retailers have an issue of getting the native plants, too,” said Donna Ford-Werntz, curator for the West Virginia University Herbarium.

Sven Verlinden, associate professor of horticulture at WVU, said it’s a chicken-and-egg syndrome.

“I’m not sure that there’s enough draw out there that growers should invest a lot of money in growing natives, and there are not enough natives out there to fill the (consumer) need. For it to really blossom, it’s going to have to have a larger appeal to a broader audience,” Verlinden said. “I guess that’s what capitalism is all about. If there is a need, it will be filled.”

Verlinden said the biggest need now is education.

“The more you can get the word out, the more there will be a demand for these products that will encourage demand for these plants that will lead to larger production,” he said. “To me, education of the public is probably the key more so than trying to establish government mandates.”

Yet government mandates are what some growers would like to see to increase the market for native plants.

“In order for it to become more mainstream in the state, the state will have to make the environment more conducive to it,” said Heus of Hinton. “One way would be to require that all landscaping at state agencies be with native plants. Legislate a requirement for rain gardens with native plants.”

And he suggested the state require restoration of mountaintop mining and gas well sites with native plants.

WVU’s Ford-Werntz said federally funded highway projects are beginning to require native species be planted during roadside restoration.