Enhance Your Garden With Native Plants
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| Photo Credit: Stephanie Avett |
| This native plant garden in Raleigh, NC, offers areas of sun and shade. |
Native plants get a lot of hype because they’re generally low-maintenance, wildlife-friendly, diverse plants that have adapted well to their particular area. While it would be ideal to devote the entire landscape to natives, most folks have some existing trees and shrubs that are foundational aspects of their yards. Native plants are hardy growers that make wonderful additions to the landscape. But the best part for homeowners: Planting natives is an easy, rewarding way to enhance the garden. Just follow these four basic steps to get started:
- Review your site.
Just because a plant is native, it doesn’t mean it’s right for every garden site in the region. Consider the amount of sunlight (or shade) and water available in your garden, and keep in mind the specific geographic area a plant is adapted for. For example, a native plant that grows on shady stream banks wouldn’t be happy – and shouldn’t be planted – at the top of a hill in full sun. - Choose good plants.
As with any garden planning, you should choose plants that have a variety of bloom times, appropriate heights and varying structures (trees, shrubs, vines, herbaceous plants, groundcovers, etc.) to offer interest. Be sure to find out if a particular plant is, in fact, native to your specific geographic area, because a plant that’s “native to the Southeast” may or may not be found in your precise Southeast location. In North Carolina, for example, there are four major geographic regions, characterized by different soils and climate – mountain, piedmont, sandhills and coastal plain. Some plants thrive in all four regions, while others may need the sandy soil of the sandhills or coastal plain to survive. For lists of suggested native plants in your area, check with your local botanical garden, arboretum or Cooperative Extension Service.
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| Warnings |
- There are fines for removing plants from state and federal parks, as well as fines for disturbing or removing protected plants from any land that’s not your own! Get your native plants from a reliable source.
- Native plant and wildflower nurseries often have plants that are naturalized. Ask a nursery professional for help in identifying which plants are truly native to your area.
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| Definitions |
- Invasive: An aggressive non-native plant that can be found growing wild in native plant communities, out-competing and replacing native plants.
- Native: A plant that was already growing on this continent prior to European settlement.
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| Faqs |
- Q: How do I know what is native and what isn’t?
A: Look it up! Find a good native plant resource – either online or in a book – to help you identify and find native plants that would work well in your garden. Most states have native plant lists online through their department of environment or natural resources.
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| Resources |
- The North Carolina Botanical Garden has a great list of native plant sources.
Read More... - Check with your local Agricultural Extension office or botanical garden to find resources for identifying and locating native plants in your area.
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