Welcome to the SAPS home page!

The Southern Appalachian Plant Society (SAPS) – a non-profit educational organization interested in promoting sound horticultural practices in our homes and communities. Our members are horticulturists, Master Gardeners, and gardening hobbyists.   Click here to learn more about becoming a member of SAPS.

SAPS NEWS & EVENTS

Herb Saplings meeting:

Herbal Crackers with Susan Scheer.

Thursday, November 20, 7 p.m. at Exchange Place. Bring an herb snack to share if you have time.

Click here to go to the calendar page for this event.  On that page you can add this event to your personal calendar and get directions to the event location.

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Native Species Diversity:
Practical implications of genetic variation for nurseries, landscapes,
and gardens

Ian Caton
Owner of Wood Thrush Native Nursery
Thursday, November 20, at 7 p.m.
BrightRidge Auditorium
2600 Boones Creek Rd (Hwy 354), Johnson City

We often hear that local ecotypes are best. We also hear that straight species are best. But what do these terms mean for design – especially when the nursery trade is not set up to account for these differences?
Our opinions of a plant are often colored by our experience with the genetic type that is available in the trade, but the truth is that many of our plants are so much more than that. Even cultivars have informative stories to tell. This lecture will explore the practical implications of genetic variations, ecotypes, and cultivars as well as the real impact this can have on our expectations for how a plant will look, how it will behave in the landscape, and in some cases how it has the potential to cause harm to the broader landscape.

Ian Caton has been the owner/operator of Wood Thrush Native Plant Nursery (formerly Enchanters Garden) in Floyd, Virginia since March 2013. Wood Thrush Native Plants is a nursery specializing in the native plants of the Appalachian region including West Virginia, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and North Carolina. A focus of the nursery is the introduction of uncommon and rare native plants which are underappreciated in the nursery trade. Previously, Ian Caton was an employee of Larry Weaner Landscape Associates, a landscape firm specializing in the use and promotion of native plants in landscaping since 2001. He has an ongoing relationship with the firm and its educational arm “The New Directions in the Landscape (NDAL)” program.   Click here to go to the calendar page for this event.  On that page you can add this event to your personal calendar and get directions to the event location.

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