I’m a recreational vegetable gardener and semi-successful
practitioner of low maintenance landscaping. My wife likes flowers. Every
spring when the weather warms up, we drive to our favorite nurseries and stock
up on seeds, plants, bushes, and trees. We’re lucky to live in western Oregon. Most
of Oregon’s 3,000-plus nurseries are within 50 miles of our home. If you’re
like us, you probably feel good about buying local plants.
But are those plants in the garden center really local? You’d
be surprised at the amount of plant material Oregon imports, some of it from
overseas. Below is a summary of the nursery stock imported into Oregon from foreign
sources last month (April, 2013).
|
12
|
Drosera
|
Australia
|
400
|
Origanum s
|
Israel
|
|
227
|
Sarracenia
|
Australia
|
100
|
Pelargonium
|
Israel
|
|
4,650
|
Dioneae
|
Australia
|
200
|
Rosmarinus officinalis
|
Israel
|
|
6,900
|
Cotinus
|
Netherlands
|
600
|
Salvia
|
Israel
|
|
700
|
Cordyline
|
Singapore
|
200
|
Satureja
|
Israel
|
|
8,000
|
Dracaena
|
Singapore
|
100
|
Stevia
|
Israel
|
|
3,210
|
Paeonia
|
Canada
|
1,000
|
Thymus
|
Israel
|
|
10,000
|
Brunnera
|
New Zealand
|
200
|
Zaluzianskya
|
Israel
|
|
1,500
|
Calibrachoa
|
Israel
|
26
|
Iris
|
Australia
|
|
360
|
Impatiens
|
Israel
|
77
|
Iris
|
Thailand
|
|
120
|
Nemesa
|
Israel
|
31,500
|
Ranunculus
|
France
|
|
920
|
Petunia
|
Israel
|
10
|
Plumeria
|
Thailand
|
|
1,400
|
Calibrachoa
|
Israel
|
38
|
Iris
|
Australia
|
|
400
|
Artemisa
|
Israel
|
1,800
|
Calibrachoa
|
Israel
|
|
200
|
Lippia
|
Israel
|
3,500
|
Petunia
|
Israel
|
|
1,000
|
Menta
|
Israel
|
1,000
|
Petunia
|
Israel
|
|
200
|
Ocimum
|
Israel
|
800
|
Petunia
|
Israel
|
|
2,000
|
Sedum
|
Israel
|
600
|
Petunia
|
Israel
|
|
3,600
|
Impatiens
|
Israel
|
1,400
|
Nemesia
|
Israel
|
|
2,000
|
Nasturtium
|
Israel
|
500
|
Ajuga
|
Israel
|
|
4,100
|
Erodium
|
Israel
|
900
|
Begonia
|
Israel
|
|
100
|
Petunia
|
Israel
|
1,300
|
Calibrachoa
|
Israel
|
|
1,000
|
Verbena
|
Israel
|
3,900
|
Lantana
|
Israel
|
|
700
|
Lantana
|
Israel
|
3,400
|
Petunia
|
Israel
|
|
600
|
Verbena
|
Israel
|
400
|
Calibrachoa
|
Israel
|
|
1,600
|
Lantana
|
Israel
|
800
|
Calibrachoa
|
Israel
|
|
100
|
Lantana
|
Israel
|
800
|
Petunia
|
Israel
|
|
200
|
Verbena
|
Israel
|
1,200
|
Petunia
|
Israel
|
|
100
|
Calibrachoa
|
Israel
|
100
|
Petunia
|
Israel
|
|
300
|
Verbena
|
Israel
|
105 g
|
Abies seed
|
Denmark
|
Readers with a botany background will notice many common
flowers and herbs on the list. Note that this is just the plant material
imported from outside the country. Much more comes in from other states.
Some of what is imported is new varieties developed elsewhere
and not yet available here, but looking at the numbers above it seems some
nurseries are outsourcing their propagation. It boggles my mind to think that
Petunias grown in Israel can be shipped to Oregon more cheaply than they can be
produced here!
Leaving behind the incomprehensible economics, let’s turn to
the plant pest risks. All the countries above have plant pests and diseases not
present in Oregon. Commercial shipments like these are certified in their
country of origin and screened when they enter this country. At the plant
inspection stations (the closest one to Oregon is Seattle), a percentage of the
boxes are opened and the plants are inspected for pests and disease. If there
is a heavy infestation of a blight or pest of concern, the shipment is
rejected.
More likely though, a plant here and there will have a few
whitefly eggs or a root rot, and the inspector doesn’t have a chance of
spotting all the potential problems. Some will get through, and a percentage of
those will find Oregon’s climate to their liking.
When looking at invasive species pathways, global trade and
travel in plant material is riskier than trade in manufactured goods. A live
plant is the perfect vehicle for a hitchhiking mealybug or fungal blight, only
it’s more than a ride. It’s a hop, skip, and a jump - from one continent to
another.
This is an example of how we’re our own worse enemy when it
comes to invasive species. It is a people-created problem. We bring them to
Oregon. On the positive side, that means that people are also the solution. I
don’t blame nurseries for shopping around for the best prices from potential
suppliers, but I do think the price of flower starts from overseas should
include the cost of dealing with the invasive species problems they inevitably
bring.
Dan Hilburn
