I was so excited to stumble across this information that I just had to share it with you. As many of you may already know, the Wild Ones Landscaping with Native Plants book has been on the US Environmental Protection Agency’s website for many years.
The EPA’s Green Landscaping: Greenacres website has the original version Wild Ones Handbook: Landscaping with Native Plants, 1st Edition
The EPA’s archives includes the 4th edition of Landscaping with Native Plants
US Forest Service Website
But last week I stumbled across Wild Ones position statement on The Importance of Local Ecotype: Guidelines for the Selection of Native Plants on the US Forest Service website.
See The US Forest Service Celebrating Wildflowers webpage Genetic Considerations — The Importance of Local Ecotype: Guidelines for the Selection of Native Plants
It looks like some of the hard work Wild Ones did while I was privileged to serve as their Executive Director is paying off. Congratulations! to Wild Ones Natural Landscapers Ltd aka Wild Ones: Native Plants, Natural Landscapes.
Oh boy, i did things wrong. I own an old landfill (part of an old dump) and an area of clay shale across Claybanks Road, where big trucks had made huge ruts. I had water holes dug out. The soil type was wrong, so they did not function as wetlands; there have never been mosquitoes there. I brought leaves in of all sorts. Once I got these heavy bags of leaves from a Nelsonville yard. I opened a bag at the site and it had seeds that weighed an ounce or so. I dragged some boards into the biggest gully and then dumped all the bags and topped with litter from my large garden. A lot of the seeds sprouted; I still saw plants ten years ago. Since I no longer have a car, I barely get down there now. The front of the landfill had wild geranium and a certain color of new england aster.
Lessons well learned, Cindy.