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NCSU’s Mountain Crop Improvement (MCI) Lab and Available Plants
- Sara S.
- 18 hours ago
- 3 min read
Have you ever wondered if our region’s plants will evolve fast enough on their own to keep pace with the current rate of climate change? Plants adapt through natural selection if plant individuals carry traits that help them survive new conditions (drought, heat, cold fluctuations, disease/pest pressure, etc.), but it can take generations for those traits to become common. The breeding program led by Dr. Tom Ranney at North Carolina State University’s Mountain Crop Improvement Lab (MCI) in Mills River, NC is helping accelerate the adaptation process so plants used in agriculture, nurseries, and landscapes can remain viable under changing conditions. While playing a part in speeding up evolution can be viewed as ‘problematic’ to some, I believe it can help create resilience in our landscapes by planning for future shifts in climate. What may take centuries to naturally occur is able to be sped up to 10-20 years of research and breeding.
In addition to breeding for better cold or heat tolerance and improved disease resistance, MCI is also breeding for unique flower colors or forms, compact growth habits for landscaping, and developing sterile cultivars of potentially invasive ornamentals. The breeding program at MCI is massive and has helped bridge academic research and the commercial nursery industry. You can view MCI’s full list of introduced plants here:
We’d like to honor the importance of MCI’s work by highlighting some of our favorites they’ve bred and by noting specific improvements made upon these plants. We will also update our plant signs here at Painters Greenhouse with a sticker to let our customers know which varieties were developed locally at MCI.
El Niño® Desert Orchid
×Chitalpa tashkentensis
Unique intergeneric hybrid combining the cold hardiness and large blooms of Catalpa and the smaller stature and drought resistance of Chilopsis. Deer resistant and a non-invasive and seedless variety. Zones 6-9, height/spread 5-8’ x 4-6’
Aphrodite® Sweetshrub
Calycanthus hybrid
Deer resistant, larger, brighter and clearer red-pink fragrant flowers than the straight species, vigorous and easy to grow. Zones 5-9, height/spread 6-12’ x 6-12’
Carolina Sweetheart® Eastern Redbud
Cercis canadensis
Unique tricolor foliage, emerging pink and fading to green and white. Native and deer resistant. Zones 4-9, height/spread 15’ x 15’
Double Take® Flowering Quince (Scarlet and Peach)
Chaenoemeles speciosa
Spineless and fruitless variety. Larger blooms and a wider color selection than the straight species. Double blooms have an extended flowering period. Deer resistant and non-invasive/seedless. Zones 5-9, height/spread 4-5’ x 4-5’
Legend of the Small® Witch Alder
Fothergilla ×intermedia
Compact variety of a native. Fragrant early spring blooms and brilliant warm colors in fall (a range of yellow, orange and reds). Zones 5-9, height/spread 2-2.5’ x 2-4’
Incrediball® Blush Smooth Hydrangea
Hydrangea arborescens
Improved native variety with strong stems and larger pale pink blooms. Extended bloom period. Zones 3-8, height/spread 4-5’ x 4-5’
Orion® Star Flower
Illicium hybrid
Native evergreen with fragrant foliage. Star-anise like white blooms with a long bloom window due to tendency to rebloom. Deer resistant. Zones 6-9, height/spread 5’ x 5’
Perfecto Mundo® Evergreen Azalea
Rhododendron
Hybrid evergreen azaleas with the longest spring bloom period on the market, strong reblooming in the fall, and high floral coverage and dense habits that perform well in containers and the landscape. Improved cold hardiness, Zones 6b-9, height/spread varies by specific color varieties.
As always, find prices, sizes, and availability on our website:
