The Power Of Native Plants

Sustainable, Native, Pollinators

Imagine a garden that is not only beautiful and inviting but is also a model of a sustainable eco-system. Native plants, ones that occur naturally in the local surroundings, tend to be better adapted to the local climate and soil conditions and, therefore, are more resistant to diseases and pests than hybrid plants. They are better able to survive in drought conditions once established and thrive in adverse growing conditions. Native plants invite wildlife like native bees, butterflies, hummingbirds, and birds to visit a garden. Native plants don’t need to be manicured; they can be left slightly wild. Native plants tend to be low maintenance while still being pretty.

Why?

• Native gardening is a popular trend for home gardens. It’s a shift in the way we think about our flower gardens.
• Native gardens are a movement towards healing and restoring the land.
• Native plants tend to be water-wise, low maintenance, disease-resistant, drought tolerant once established and thrive in the right conditions.
• Create a sustainable ecosystem above and below the soil.

What are Native Plants?

• Indigenous native plants include woody trees and shrubs, flowering perennials, and grasses. There are native plants for all growing conditions, including sun and shade, dry or moist areas, and all soil types.

What Will the Neighbours Say?

• A native garden can be as formal or informal as you choose to make it.
• Some of my clients worry their native gardens might get complaints from their neighbours for being ‘too wild.’ To keep it tame, select only a few varieties of plants and lay them out in large groups.
• Consider this as an extra incentive to make your native garden the showpiece of the neighbourhood!

Benefits | Environmental

• Native plants tend to be low maintenance once established.
• Leave your leaves. Recycle plant residue with soil composting.
• Reduce chemical & fertilizer use because native plants are less prone to disease & pests and require very little fertilizer.
• Combat climate change by planting native species.
• Reduce carbon pollution by planting long-living native trees.
• Conserve water. Native plants tend to thrive even in summer heat and need less water than hybrid plants.

Benefits | Beauty in a Native Garden

• Many native plants offer beautiful, showy flowers that produce an abundance of exciting & colourful seed heads and fruits.
• Brilliant seasonal colours, from the pale greens in spring to vibrant yellows, oranges, and reds in the fall.
• Amazing winterscapes with interesting stems and branches, textures and colours
• Native plants provide movement and sound in the garden.
• They create a natural backdrop for sitting and watching wildlife!
• Just as important to gardeners are the practical benefits of native gardening: less work and lots of beauty!
• You’ll quickly discover native plants almost look after themselves–after all, that’s what happens in nature.

Benefits | Wildlife

Imagine a songbird flying northwards after a long migratory journey, looking for nourishment and finding acres and acres of manicured lawn. Or a toad looking for a pond in which to breed and finding a sea of asphalt.

• Native plants provide habitat for a wide variety of creatures, such as birds, butterflies & bees, whereas hybrid plants tend to be designed to attract people.
• You can provide a home for native plants as they are becoming increasingly rare in the wild.
• Create a sustainable habitat. Oak Trees provide over 500 species of caterpillars for birds
• Butterflies & moths depend on specific plants for food that you can provide in your native garden
• Provide shelter for flying friends

Flowering Shrubs

Cephalanthus occidentalis, BUTTONBUSH

Cornus alba ‘Sibirica’, RED TWIG DOGWOOD

Diervilla lonicera, LOW BUSH HONEYSUCKLE

Rubus odoratus, FLOWERING RASPBERRY

Symphoricarpos albus, SNOWBERRY

Groundcovers

Arctostaphylos uva-ursi, BEARBERRY

Roses

Rosa blanda, SMOOTH WILD ROSE

Native Grasses

Andropogon gerardii, BIG BLUESTEM

Andropogon scoparius, LITTLE BLUESTEM

Bouteloua gracilis, BLUE GRAMA

Chasmanthium latifolium, NORTHERN SEA OATS

Koeleria cristata, JUNE GRASS

Sorghastrum nutans, INDIAN GRASS

Wildflowers

Achillea millefolium, COMMON YARROW

Agastache scrophulariifolia, PURPLE GIANT HYSSOP

Aquilegia canadensis, COLUMBINE

Aruncus dioicus, GOATSBEARD

Asclepias syriaca, SWAMP MILKWEED

Asclepias tuberosa, BUTTERFLY WEED

Campanula rotundifolia, HAREBELL

Chelone glabra, WHITE TURTLEHEAD

Coreopsis lanceolata, LANCE-LEAFED CORESPSIS

Dalea purpurea, PURPLE CLOVER

Desmodium canadense, SHOWY TICK TREFOIL

Echinacea pallida, PALE PURPLE CONE FLOWER

Epilobium angustifolium, FIREWEED

Eupatorium maculatum, SPOTTED JOE PYE WEED

Geranium maculatum,  WILD GERANIUM

Helianthus maximillaini, MAXIMILLAIN’S SUNFLOWER

Heliopsis helianthoides,  FALSE SUNFLOWER

Iris versicolor, BLUE FLAG IRIS

Liatris ligulistylus, MEADOW BLAZINGSTAR

Monarda didyma, WILD BEEBALM

Monarda fistulosa,  WILD BERGAMOT 6″ pot

Oenothera biennis, Native Yellow EVENING PRIMROSE

Rudbeckia hirta, CONEFLOWER

Rudbeckia triloba, BRANCHED CONEFLOWER

Silphium perfoliatum, CUP PLANT

I hope you will take time to wonder through the new gardens at the Near North Enviro-Education Centre in Sundridge Ontario. Happy Gardening.

Lexi Dearborn