Why You Should Use Native Plants in Your Landscape (and Where to Find Them)
The United States is a wildly diverse landscape. Consider how different the northern landscapes of Michigan and Minnesota are from the deserts of Texas and New Mexico or the dense forests of the Northeast or Northwest. Although common sense is that these different landscapes cannot support the same plant life, this does not stop people from trying to grow cacti in the forest. Even within the same landscape, say the Southwest, there are differences in what was growing naturally before we started introducing new species. The landscape was designed to support these native species; In fact, the entire ecosystem revolved around these native plants. They attract native pollinators and feed local wildlife—the digested plants become seeds and the cycle begins again. Over the past twenty years, a movement has emerged to refocus our landscaping efforts on native plants to help native pollinators and wildlife, conserve water, and prevent invasive plants from taking over the environment.
What are native plants?
In general, native species are plants that lived in the region before European settlement. At this point, the species multiplied because the environment supported it; These were the plants that thrived in the region’s conditions. Even after all the environmental restoration efforts, when the land is cleared due to natural or man-made conditions such as a wildfire or road construction, the plants you first see returning are native plants. If plants are adapted to environmental conditions, they require less support, such as additional water or cover. Think about a cactus growing in a forest: it has to move inside during the winter, needs extra light and warmth, and may even need a dehumidifier. But the native fern requires none of these supports and thrives outdoors in winter. In the Sonoran Desert, the opposite is true: the cactus has everything it needs to survive winter and summer outdoors, but the fern will not survive unless it has constant supplemental shade and water.
Why native plants are important
It’s not just that native plants are adapted to the local environment. Local wildlife has also become accustomed to these native plants. They provide nectar for birds and bees, butterflies, bats—all your native pollinators. More pollination means more fruit production, which supports growing wildlife populations.
As stated above, native plants require less intervention, which includes fewer fertilizers and pesticides, which results in fewer toxins leaching into groundwater and the environment, and they use fewer resources such as water. They are better for the soil and therefore prevent erosion. They do not require cutting, so they cause less pollution.
How to Find Native Plants in Your Area
Naturally, a Google search is a great first step to learning more about the native species found in your area. The National Wildlife Federation offers a volunteer-supported wildlife habitat certification program. Certification is a multi-step process that begins with someone coming to evaluate your yard. The purpose of certification (beyond a sign you can hang in your yard) is to pass various tests regarding how your yard is planted and how you use resources. A $20 donation covers the entire process, but even if you don’t intend to get certified, the assessment will leave you with a number of suggestions on how to better support your yard for native wildlife. In addition to local native plant listings, NWF often offers discounts to local suppliers who can help you purchase plants; it also offers a tool to find your region’s native species.
While I would like all nurseries to carry native plants, I have found that some nurseries specialize in this and you can call to find them. There are also resource sites, such as Home Grown National Park , that can help you find nurseries that support the sale of native plants.
Once you know who your locals are, you can find them yourself by swapping plants and selling in the local gardening groups that are proliferating on Facebook if you search your area and the word “gardening.” This is an ideal time of year as many communities support the sale and exchange of native plants in early summer.
I didn’t think about native ones for a long time, because I like tulips. I loved my lemon tree, which I wore indoors and outdoors every season. I wanted to grow what I wanted. In my opinion, I decided that native plants were boring and unlikely to be as visually interesting as the ones I was growing. Then I started reading up on what was native to my area and was surprised at how many plants I was already growing because they were so beautiful: yarrow, goldenrod, lupine and lilies. When I finally had my yard assessed for certification, these suggestions helped bring together areas that I had previously struggled with because I had stopped struggling with the landscape. The natives quickly gained the upper hand because they were suited to the area.