We interviewed Phyllis Stiles of Bee City USA about pollinators and the importance of native plants at the Botanical Gardens at Asheville— an independent non-profit organization housing a collection of plants native to the Southern Appalachian Mountains. The plant collection of the Botanical Gardens at Asheville is represented by over 600 species that are native to the Southern Appalachians. These include many species of trees, shrubs, wildflowers, vines, grasses and sedges. Habitats vary from the sunny and dry to the shaded and wet, allowing many suitable niches for a wide variety of plants. The Gardens is refuge to over 50 species that are considered uncommon, rare or endangered on a regional, state or federal level.
