The Importance of Using Native Plants in Suburban Gardens & Landscapes

Why Do Native Plants Matter? Native plants support native fauna and native plants provide a sense of place for us. Native species have an evolutionary history together. Through time certain balances have been formed among the native species creating a balance based on predators, food sources, cooperative relationships and food webs.

Without native plants native insects wouldn’t survive, the vast majority of which are beneficial. Without native insects we wouldn’t have songbirds because 96% of terrestrial birds feed their young with insects. And native species are vanishing. For every 10 song birds that existed in the northeast when I was a boy growing up, only 6 birds exist today. This is due to loss of habitat from development and invasive plants.

Here’s how it works: all living things have to develop a strategy to survive and not become food for other living things. Since plants cannot flee, they have evolved with various defenses: they become poisonous, they grow sharp thorns and needles, they become indigestible, etc. Native insects have evolved to be able to feed on some native plants. Most insects cannot eat most exotic plants. Indeed, one of the sought after characteristics of exotic plants is that insects do not eat them. Furthermore, this is why some exotic plants become runaway invasives because nothing feeds on them.

The native community does not have this balance with the invading species. Often there are few or no natural controls to prevent establishment of the invader. This can have serious consequences for the native species.

Examples of exotic plants that are aggressively and successfully outcompeting natives in our local environment are Japanese Barberry, Oriental Bittersweet, Purple loosestrife and Winged Euonymus.

 

Why Landscape with Native Plants?

Landscaping with native plants has several appealing factors.

Native Plants Save Energy

Native plants have evolved and adapted to local conditions over thousands of years. They are vigorous and hardy, so can survive winter cold and summer heat. Once established, they require no irrigation or fertilization. They are resistant to most pests and diseases. Thus, native plants suit today's interest in "low-maintenance" gardening and landscaping.

A Place for Children to Play

Native plantings will give children a place to play where they can become aware of the workings of the world around them. Research suggests that rural children may think differently from their urban counterparts. Rural children explain other's behavior mainly with references to characteristics of situations (the outer world has impact – you interact with it), while urban children spoke in terms of internal intentions and beliefs. Native landscaping allows us to explore nature within our children's frame of reference.

Native Plants Stay Put

Each native plant species is a member of a community that includes other plants, animals and microorganisms. The natural balance keeps each species in check, allowing it to thrive in conditions where it is suited, but preventing it from running amok. Thus, native species rarely become invasive, as plants introduced from other areas can be.

Native plants provide food and shelter for birds, butterflies and other desirable wildlife. Many help to enrich the soil. Their root systems help rainfall percolate into the soil, reducing erosion and runoff. This improves water quality.

Native Plants Are Interesting

The diversity of native plants includes interesting flowers and foliage. Native shrubs and trees provide a variety of heights, shapes and textures in the landscape. Many provide winter interest through their bark or seed pods.

Another dimension of native plants is their historical and cultural interest. Some plants played a significant role in Native American culture, or in the European exploration and settlement. Many species have reported value as food or medicine. Others have been used for cordage, textiles, dyestuffs, or similar domestic purposes. Native plants can provide children and adults with a tangible link to the past.

 

 

 

Best Native Woody and Perennial Plant Genera

The following is a list of some of the best native woody and perennial plant genera for supporting biodiversity and for ornamental value in East Coast suburban landscapes:

Perennials

  • Goldenrod (Solidago spp.)
  • Asters (Aster spp.)
  • Sunflowers (Helianthus spp.)
  • Joe Pye weed, Boneset (Eupatorium spp.)
  • Coral Honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervirens)
  • Native Geraniums (Geranium spp.)
  • Purple cone flower (Echinacea)
  • Black- eyed Susans (Rudbeckia spp.)
  • Iris (Iris spp.)
  • Evening primrose (Oenothera)
  • Milkweeds (Asclepias spp.)
  • Verbena (Verbena spp.)
  • Beardtongue (Penstemon spp.)
  • Native Phlox (Phlox spp.)
  • Bee Balm (Monarda spp.)
  • Veronica (Veronica spp.)
  • Foamflower (Tiarella spp.)

Shrubs

  • Native roses
  • Fothergilla
  • Chokeberry
  • Oakleaf hydrangea
  • Winterberry
  • Blueberries
  • Viburnum

Trees

  • Cherries and Plums (Prunus)
  • willows (Salix)
  • Birches (Betula
  • Poplars (Populus)
  • Crabapples (Malus)
  • Maples (Acer)
  • Elms (Ulmus)
  • Pines (Pinus)
  • Hickories (Carya)
  • Hawthorns (Crateagus)
  • Black Walnut (Juglans)
  • American Chestnut (Castanea)
  • Hazelnuts (Corylus)
  • American Beech (Fagus)

Wild-Collected plants: A Conservation issue

Wildflowers and other native plants are enjoying renewed interest and popularity. Some unscrupulous nurseries are digging plants up in the wild and offering them for sale. Some of these plants are endangered and their sale is often illegal. Reputable nurseries propagate the wildflowers and other native plants they sell. As responsible gardeners we should buy only nursery-propagated plants. Here are some ways to tell the difference:

  • Beware of the phrase ‘nursery-grown.” It doesn’t necessarily mean that a plant is nursery-propagated; instead, it may have been collected, and then grown on in the nursery for a season or two.
  • Wildflowers that take a long time to propagate, like trilliums, trout lilies, and other spring woodland wildflowers, are often wild-collected. Don’t buy them unless you’re sure they’re nursery-propagated.
  • You should expect to pay the same price for a nursery-propagated wildflower as you would for any other perennial; beware of inexpensive plants or quantity discounts on wildflowers.
  • Don’t buy wildflowers that look like they were just dug from the ground and stuck in pots. Watch for battered or wilted leaves and plants that are too big for their pots but not pot bound.