Saturday, May 4, 2013

Where do You Buy Plants?


         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