I'd find it really helpful to have a parameter int he database for a plants native area.

"Native" can be so vague - native to the continent of North America is not specific enough - It could be native to Florida but not British Columbia.

And I am increasingly concerned with getting plants native to where I'll be planting them.

Anybody agree?
Any reason not to?

This topic has been brought up in the past on more than one occasion. The term native opens up a can of worms that Dave did not want to get into, but I think he said that it was ok to make note of a plants nativity in the comments. If you are looking for a place to find if a plant is native, I would recommend Biota of North America (BONAP) http://bonap.net/NAPA/Genus/Tr...

Thanks for the link!

I am also interested in planting more natives and less invasives - and agree that either term can be a hot button. I have been trying to include that information in my plant comment relative to my own growing region, without trying to figure out what the precise range is for either term. I just note what the status is in the PNW. In response to a courteous suggestion, I modified my language to read 'native IN the Pacific NW' rather than 'native TO the PNW' which implied an exclusive relationship.

And, thanks, Horntoad, for the link - that is very helpful along with my local field guide.