Making native plants and native plant professionals available to Sustainability
through Native Plants
Native plants are essential components of the natural systems that support us.
Preserving and using more native plants protects the natural resources we depend
on and makes it possible for us to restore ecological function to our landscapes.
Every year, more people understand this and demand for native plants steadily, if slowly,
increases. In Florida, this is due largely to the efforts of a handful of organizations featured
in this guide. But native plant availability remains limited as does the pool of horticulture
and landscape professionals who know how to grow and use them.
ifty years ago, there was a small
and limited organic and natural
foods industry. It was hard to
find many or good products, and
few people knew what to do with
F
them. Today, organic foods are widely available
and we see a growing local food movement.
Popular restaurants feature organic
and locally produced foods. We need to similarly
transform the horticulture and landscape
industry with more and better use of
native plants.
Enter the Native Plant Horticulture
Foundation, a new charity created by FANN,
the publisher of this guide. The foundation’s
mission is to expand the supply of native
plants and native plant professionals so that
communities everywhere can be truly sustainable.
The foundation focuses its programs
in three major areas:
Student Support: High school and college
students have limited exposure to native
plant related career opportunities. The
foundation has enabled students to travel to
and participate in a variety of native plant
16 | GUIDE FOR REAL FLORIDA GARDENERS FALL 2018 FANN/Florida Association of Native Nurseries