The Importance of Native Plants in Supporting Local Wildlife!

Support sustainability by promoting native plants that attract and support local wildlife and pollinators.

Imagine a garden that captivates the eye while embracing a sustainable ecosystem. Here, native plants thrive, adapt to the local climate and are resilient to diseases and pests. Once established, they flourish even in drought, creating a beautiful sanctuary where nature and beauty coexist, nourishing both the environment and your soul.

Native plants attract a vibrant array of wildlife, including native bees and wasps, butterflies’ gentle fluttering, and hummingbirds’ graceful hum as they flit from wildflower to wildflower. Native plants provide a welcoming habitat for a variety of bird species, which, in turn, enrich the garden’s ecosystem. With minimal maintenance required, native plants can flourish slightly untamed, creating a dynamic and visually captivating landscape. In essence, native plants offer a beautiful balance of low upkeep and natural elegance, enhancing the overall charm of your garden while supporting local wildlife.

Why Select Native Plants?

Native gardening has become a popular trend for home gardens, representing a shift in our approach to flower gardening. This movement focuses on healing and restoring the land. Once established, native plants are generally water-wise, low maintenance, disease-resistant, drought-tolerant, and can thrive in unsuitable growing conditions. By cultivating native gardens, we can create a sustainable ecosystem above and below the soil.

What are Native Plants?

Native plants are those that grow naturally in a region without human introduction. They have evolved alongside local wildlife over thousands of years, and many animals rely on them for survival.

Native plants include the following:
◦ deciduous and coniferous trees
◦ deciduous, coniferous, and broadleaf shrubs and roses
◦ wildflowers and ground covers
◦ grasses

What Will the Neighbours Say?

A native garden can be designed to be as formal or informal as you like. Some of my clients express concerns that their native gardens might attract complaints from neighbours for being “too wild.” Choose only a few plant varieties and arrange them in large groups to maintain a more controlled appearance. Think of this as an opportunity to make your native garden a standout feature in the neighbourhood!

The Benefits of Native Plants and the Environmental

Here are some key benefits of planting native species:

• Leave Your Leaves: Instead of raking leaves, consider recycling them by composting plant residue into the soil.
• Reduce Chemical and Fertilizer Use: Native plants are less susceptible to diseases and pests, requiring little to no fertilizer.
• Combat Climate Change: By planting native species, you can help combat climate change, one garden at a time.
• Reduce Carbon Pollution: Planting long-living native trees reduces carbon emissions.
• Conserve Water: Native plants thrive even in the summer heat and generally need less water than many hybrid plants.

These practices not only support biodiversity but also promote a healthier ecosystem overall, one residential garden at a time!

The Beauty of a Native Garden

Many native plants showcase beautiful, vibrant flowers that yield a variety of exciting and colourful seed heads and fruits perfect for the late fall and winter garden. They offer brilliant seasonal colours, ranging from pale greens in spring to vivid yellows, oranges, and reds in the fall. In winter, native plants create stunning landscapes with colourful stems and branches, unique evergreen textures, and colourful berries and seedheads.

Native plants also add movement and sound to the garden, providing a natural backdrop for observing wildlife. In addition to its aesthetic appeal, native gardening offers practical benefits: it requires less work while delivering plenty of beauty. You’ll quickly realize that native plants tend to thrive on their own—after all, that’s the way nature intended.

The Benefits for Wildlife

Imagine if you can, 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 to breed and seeing a sea of asphalt.

Native plants provide habitats for a wide variety of creatures, including birds, butterflies, and native bees and wasps. In contrast, hybrid plants are often created primarily to appeal to people. By supporting native plants, you can help address their growing rarity in the wild.

Creating a sustainable habitat is essential for local wildlife. For instance, oak trees support more than 500 species of caterpillars, which feed summer birds. Additionally, butterflies and moths depend on many native wildflowers for nourishment. Both deciduous and coniferous trees offer shelter for these winged creatures.

Native Flowering Shrubs Perfect for Residential Gardens

Cephalanthus occidentalis, BUTTONBUSH

Cornus alba ‘Sibirica’, RED TWIG DOGWOOD

Diervilla lonicera, LOW BUSH HONEYSUCKLE

Rubus odoratus, FLOWERING RASPBERRY

Symphoricarpos albus, SNOWBERRY

Groundcovers for Dry Areas and Slopes

Arctostaphylos uva-ursi, BEARBERRY

Abundant Wild Roses for any Garden

Rosa blanda, SMOOTH WILD ROSE

Native Grasses for Movement and Texture

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 for Summer Colour and Winter Seedheads

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

Ontario is rich in native species. Growers have improved their stock, so now native plants are available at your local greenhouse or nursery. These plants are not only easy to care for but also play a crucial role in supporting native wildlife. Wildflowers tend to be much more rich in pollen than hybrid varieties, providing essential food for local insects and birds. Selecting native plants for your gardens, in whole or as part of a design, is a wise choice that shows your care for the local ecosystem.

Lexi Dearborn

The Gabby Gardener