Are native plants more difficult to establish and maintain than exotic plants?
The simple answer is no, but of course it all depends on the specifics. There is no research to my knowledge that indicates that native plants are generally more difficult to cultivate than exotics. Of course, many exotics are popular for the simple reason that they are easy to propagate and maintain, but the same is true of many native plants as well, and many temperamental exotics are used regularly. It is important, however, to point out that the assumption underlying a native-dominated sustainable landscape is not that natives are necessarily superior to exotics because they are better adapted. There is little doubt that in many instances exotics may out-perform natives for a host of reasons relating especially to edaphic (or soil) conditions, water availability, resistance to pests and disease, and growth rates. But, to address sustainability adequately, one must look beyond plant performance. If decisions were made merely on plant performance, then we could envision a day when a
