Native Plant Horticulture Research Endowment created by American Beauties Native Plants

As announced at the 2018 MANTS trade show and reported in Garden Center magazine, American Beauties Native Plants, a branding program for growers and sellers of native plants (including cultivars), has established a $25,000 endowment to fund native plant research at the Horticultural Research Institute (HRI), the research affiliate of AmericanHort, a national organization supported by growers, retailers and landscapers across the country. HRI generally supports horticultural research and scholarships for horticulture students. HRI publishes the peer reviewed Journal of Environmental Horticulture and funds in part or completely many major national initiatives of interest to the native plant industry including but not limited to: Grow Wise, Bee Smart; Million Pollinator Garden Challenge, Seed Your Future and SHIFT.

At the announcement at MANTS, Steve Castorani, co-owner of American Beauties Native Plants, stated: “Native plants are critically important to our environment and are a cornerstone in maintaining the balance of life on our planet. Without them, life as we know it would cease to exist. American Beauties Native Plants is determined to make the public aware of the critical role native plants play in our lives, as well as the lives of the animals that depend on them. American Beauties Native Plants is working with nurseries to increase the awareness and availability of native plants in garden centers, home gardens and public landscapes throughout America.”

The mission of American Beauties Native Plants is to promote the importance and increase the use of native plants in gardens and landscapes throughout America. The branding program has raised funds to support many native plant causes including, but not limited to, over $270,000 in funding to support the National Wildlife Federation’s Wildlife Habitat Program, $12,000 to the Pollinator Partnership, and together with member growers, over $15,000 in funding for the documentary film, Hometown Habitat, Stories of Bringing Nature Home, by Catherine Zimmerman.