A strong reason to favor native cultivars is that the bred versions are bred for their appearance to humans. They are often sterile and devoid of nutrition or not attractive to the pollinaotrs, perhaps not quite as bad as paving the lot, but not a lot better.
Be very careful of the use of systemic pesticides. They are great (for some values of 'great') for keeping the nursery plants free of insect damage. They also reliably kill the insects that we want (i.e., NEED) to foster. Best option is grow your own from seed, or find nurseries that do not use systemic or persistent pesticides.
And yes - go to Xerces society to learn a LOT more!
A strong reason to favor native cultivars is that the bred versions are bred for their appearance to humans. They are often sterile and devoid of nutrition or not attractive to the pollinaotrs, perhaps not quite as bad as paving the lot, but not a lot better.
Be very careful of the use of systemic pesticides. They are great (for some values of 'great') for keeping the nursery plants free of insect damage. They also reliably kill the insects that we want (i.e., NEED) to foster. Best option is grow your own from seed, or find nurseries that do not use systemic or persistent pesticides.
And yes - go to Xerces society to learn a LOT more!