IF WE’RE shopping for native plants with the most ecological impact—ones with the most pollinator appeal, for example—then simply choosing by the prettiest picture on a label or by a catalog photo won’t get you to your goal. It helps to understand the vocabulary of natives: words like straight species and ecotype and selection and cultivar. Especially with cultivars—the cultivated named varieties of, say, Echinacea or Phlox or Aster of which there are now so many to choose from—we need to learn to read between the lines on those plant labels, because not all cultivars are created equal. Sam Hoadley, the manager of horticultural research at Mt. Cuba Center in Delaware, helped me  understand how to do just that. Since 2002, the gardeners at Mt. Cuba Center in Delaware have been studying native plants and their cultivars for their garden-worthiness and ecological value, and since 2019 Sam Hoadley has been heading up that effort, conducting multi-year trials that compare different species and varieties of a genus. (Above, Phlox paniculata ‘Jeana,’ a top performer in their Phlox trial.) Read along as you listen to the April 27, 2026 edition of my public-radio show and podcast using the player below. You can […]

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