The Indiana Native Plant and Wildflower Society is no more. It’s now the Indiana Native Plant Society. The 25-year-old organization surveyed its members last year and overwhelmingly, they voted for the change in November.
Michael Homoya was president last year and initiated the changes. “Twenty-five years ago the native movement was not as well understood nor embraced by the public as it is today, so it was understandable to use wildflower. Thus we became the Indiana Native Plant and Wildflower Society. And while well intended, I think that the combination of native plant and wildflower has led to some confusion that possibly detracts from our mission.”
Part of the problems with INPAWS, the old acronym, is that it reminded people of animals. “The goal for the name is foremost to accurately and without confusion reflect our advocacy for native plants,” he said. The new URL for the website is indiananativeplants.org.
Winter challenges
Be grateful that we have a little snow cover on the ground with these record-breaking low temps. The snow serves as insulation for the plants and their roots.
The wind may cause excessive drying of evergreens, including boxwoods, rhododendrons and azaleas, but there isn’t really anything we can do about that.
These plants need to be well hydrated before winter every comes, which is why it’s important to water evergreens in fall.
Select a deicer that will not harm pets or plants. (C) Jo Ellen Meyers Sharp
Ice melts and plants
While we are talking about winter, remember to be careful with using ice melts. Those that have a heavy salt formulation can damage lawns and plants. And they can hurt the paws of pets.
Save the date
The popular Spring Garden Clinic will be March 30 at St. Luke United Methodist Church in Indianapolis. About 300 people attend this annual event, which is sponsored and organized by Purdue Extension-Marion County and Master Gardeners. This daylong program is open to the public.