Re: North Hill/Native Plant Movement issues raised re: native vs


> Tres Fromme's presentation at the North Hill Symposium was titled "Wilde
> Nature, Wilder Gardens: Why I don't do Nature." Basically, his thesis
> juxtaposed Oscar Wilde-ian artifice or the pursuit of the sensual vs.
> Nature and the puritannical natural plant movement. His presentation was
> certainly tongue and cheek to a certain extent, but he raised several
> points of why we should be wary of the native plant movement. He really
> questioned what was "natural" in a garden in the first place,
> stipulating that gardens aren't truth, they are fantasy. He posited that
> horticultural practices apply natural systems in one's garden, but
> gardens are really more like the theatre, using conflict and collections
> to create action or a performance. His slides were good and very
> humorous. His talk was well received by the audience. I couldn't help
> but thinking that when there's such a large audience (about 200 people)
> there's a certain pressure to perform and even be outrageous. It
> certainly was thought provoking.
> 
> --Stacey
> 
> -snip- 
> Would you mind elaborating a bit on some of the 
> issues raised re: native vs. exotic plants?  What was the tenor 
> of the audience?  
> 
> Jaime
> 
> -snip-
> What does this mean?  No, I KNOW what "native plants" are.  I have many,
> myself. what does this mean, as an issue??  Why is it a hot topic??
> 
> This is something I haven't heard about.
> 
>Thanks,
>Sue P.

Stacey,  it sounds like the whole symposium and tour was very 
interesting,   I'm not familiar with Tres Fromme but agree that he's 
right about gardening being an unnatural act.  A really natural 
garden would have an awful lot of undesirable plants (i.e. weeds) 
although the gardener wouldn't have to do anything to do it, either.  
If you do anything, you're interfering with nature, after all.   That 
said, I think there are good reasons for using native plants, 
particularly in these times of drought and generally strange weather. 
"Natives" endure.

But what are native plants?  Tony Avent of Plants Delight has been 
quoted as saying that all plants were native before the continents 
split.  True enough.  Yet, as has been discussed on this list, some 
plants are terribly invasive when imported to new areas.  

Moderation in all things.

Kate Lykins
Zone 7a/NW GA

BTW,  does anyone know a good source for the Southeast native 
Aesculus parviflora? 
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