In 1984, Ronald Reagan was the President, Mary Lou Retton won gold at the Olympics, I was a 13 year old who hated yardwork and the number one pop song of the year was Prince’s “When Doves Cry.” This was also the year that the Cullowhee Native Plant Conference was born.
Forty-two years ago, visionary founders who saw a need to bring together a diverse group of people to celebrate plants native to the Southeast began the native plant movement. They aimed to promote those plants’ use in landscaping and horticulture. Where most academic and professional conferences are specific to one field of study, a component of industry or a business, the Cullowhee Native Plant Conference, or just “Cullowhee” as attendees affectionally call it, brings in people who love native plants.
