Native Plants

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A: There are those who suspect Wildflower Center volunteers are the culpable and capable culprits. Yet, others think staff members play some, albeit small, role. You can torture us with your plant questions, but we will never reveal the Green Guru's secret identity.

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Tuesday - January 13, 2009

From: Harmony, NC
Region: Northeast
Topic: General Botany, Seeds and Seeding, Herbs/Forbs
Title: Seed for Kosteletzkya virginica, salt marsh mallow
Answered by: Nan Hampton

QUESTION:

I have a nursery in North Carolina. We are looking for a reliable seed source for kosteletzkya virginica salt marsh mallow. We are www.campbellfamilynursery.com

ANSWER:

You can see on our Native Plant Database page for Kosteletzkya virginica (Virginia saltmarsh mallow) that there is a link to Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation (SCCF), one of our Associate Suppliers, in Sanibel, Florida that lists the plant for sale, available as plants in 4 inch and 1 gallon containers. It isn't clear whether they have seeds available. However, if you will be growing and selling these plants in North Carolina, we strongly encourage you to use seeds native to your area. Please read the article "Understanding the Importance of Genetics" to learn why this is important. You can search in our National Suppliers Directory for nurseries and seed companies that specialize in native plants in your area where the saltmarsh mallow is native. In a quick preliminary search for seed companies in North Carolina, I found Mellow Marsh Farms in Pittsboro, NC that lists the saltmarsh mallow for sale. Another source for information about native plants in your area is the North Carolina Native Plant Society which also has a list of Nursery Sources for Native Seeds and Plants in North Carolina. I found Mellow Marsh Farms as well as your nursery, Campbell Family Nursery, listed there.

Since you have a nursery that obviously deals in native plants, we would like to encourage you to consider adding your name to our National Suppliers Directory and to consider becoming one of our Associates:

"Associates are native plant nurseries, landscapers, seed suppliers, and environmental consultants who offer Wildflower Center members a discount on merchandise or services. To qualify, at least 50% of a suppliers projects or inventory must use native plants."

There is no charge for adding your company's name to either list.