Great to see Big Hort media like Ball Publishing drawing attention to this topic that we’d love to get loads more info on– whether cultivars reduce the ecological and wildlife function of native plants, or not. This article highlights research performed by Annie White, Nectar Landscape Design Studio, in Vermont. The research is not yet published but you can get a flavor of it in this article.

You’ll see more varieties of commercially available native plants at the Native Plant Show than an at any other horticulture show, in a variety of sizes. Whether you need plants for ornamental landscape or natural area restoration, you’ll find the best growers at the Native Plant Show.

The Native Plant Horticulture Foundation is seeking student volunteers to engage with Florida’s native plant industry professionals at the 5th Annual Native Plant Show, April 20-21, 2017, in Bradenton. The foundation will provide hotel lodging, meals and travel stipends for a limited number of student participants.

Legislators are contemplating passage of a bill that would prohibit local governments from regulating businesses unless specifically granted the right to do so. Existing regulations would expire in 2020. This would impact all local (city/county) regulations governing businesses, including local environmental regulations.

Leslie Pierpont, former owner of Native & Uncommon Plants and a former FANN member who successfully transitioned her business to the next generation, Alfred and Leslie Romeu, has successfully lobbied to have our beautiful native Ashe Magnolia named 2017 Plant of the Year by the Garden Club of America (GCA).

The Native Plant Horticulture Foundation, a new nonprofit dedicated to making communities sustainable by expanding the availability of native plants and native plant professionals, has sponsored an all native episode for the new reality TV series, Flip My Florida Yard, hosted and produced by HowtodoFlorida creator Chad Crawford.

Save $110 off the regular rate of grower membership with FANN when you join AND exhibit at the Native Plant Show! That’s right, for a limited time, FANN is running a show special for NEW wholesale nurseries that join and exhibit at this year’s Native Plant Show. You can’t beat this deal!

Respond before the end of March 2017 and be entered into chance to win a $25 Amazon gift card. Carter Westerhold, a Master’s student of Horticulture at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, is conducting a survey to gauge the knowledge horticulture retail employees have when it comes to pollinator conservation and the type of plant recommendations they are giving customers for conservation.

Horticulture trade press pundit Allan Armitage says "the thrill of new plants is fading" (thank heavens) and that we need to start focusing on more plants with purpose. He calls for "better" pollinator plants. Well we have the best pollinator plants although our native plant industry may be a bit divided on whether those plants should be further selected for more useful landscape forms.

Debbie Hamrick, editor of the NewTerrain newsletter (functional plants, functional landscapes), wrote an interesting article focused on a favorite mostly wholesale native nursery in her backyard, Carolina Native Nursery. The nursery seems very similar to many of ours, perhaps with a greater focus on producing plants that retail garden centers can sell. Owner Bill Jones, who grows about 200 species in mostly 3-gallon containers, says he produces "high quality garden center fat plants" and that "when fat plants come off the truck, everyone is happy."