Posted by Sue Landsman on Apr.26, 2010

ⓒ Janet Harriett

When I first decided to create a native plant garden, I knew nothing. I ogled all the plants in the catalogs, and found a book that showed pictures of different gardens and listed the plants needed. I picked a pretty-looking butterfly garden, and ordered the plants. After I planted everything, the predictable happened: I started noticing the plants all around me because, surprise surprise, they’re native. Suddenly I saw milkweed everywhere, in the field behind my house, on the side of the road, on the side of every road.

Creating a native plant garden is a lesson in humility, and it will also redefine your idea of what a garden is. For most of us, a garden is a specific, unnatural spot on our property in which we plant a range of flowers and grasses in order to create a specific effect or just make things look pretty. A native plant garden is, well, just a little bit wilder, and if it had a mind of its own probably wouldn’t call itself a garden at all. The words landscape, or naturescape, are probably more accurate. Ideally, a native landscape will blend in with the rest of your yard and make you feel like your whole yard is a garden.

There are many reasons to work with native plants. Some people like native plants because they wish to preserve diversity, and supporting local plants helps guarantee that indigenous plants don’t disappear in a wake of lawn turf and tulips. Others plant with natives because it’s better for the local wildlife and the environment. Native wildlife prefers native plants, and a landscape to which they’re naturally adapted will draw more wildlife to your property. Even more people prefer native plants because they require lower maintenance than non-natives. A plant native to an area will grow happily an require less upkeep than a plant that may need special fertilizer or tending in order to thrive.

If you know nothing like I did, you can start a native plant area by purchasing mail order, or by working with a list and buying what you can locally and ordering only what you can’t find. The trick to gardening with natives is realizing you don’t need to plant everything at once. As you investigate and work with the plants, you’ll find your ability and skill at recognizing them growing. You’ll see them everywhere, and pretty soon you’ll realize that you don’t even necessarily need to buy them. You’ll find them already growing in your yard, often by the woods or on the borders of your property where you haven’t been tending things quite so well. You’ll also see them often growing on the side of the road; you can take cuttings or seeds from these plants. It’s probably ok to swipe a plant or two, as long as there’s a large growth of that plant and your removing one will not disturb the local ecosystem or anger any neighbors.

The best way to find native plants is to get to know your native neighbors. Take a walk around and see who has what growing in their yard. Native plants tend to grow so well that it’s entirely likely that people near you with native landscapes would be more than happy to thin theirs out a little and provide you with some starter stock. Contact your local garden club to find other native plant cheerleaders in the area; club plant sales are a great place to buy inexpensive plants and also meet people who can help you learn more about creating a native landscape.

So jump in and make a few new friends — of the plant, and human, variety.

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Posted under Home Environment, Nature and Environment, Organic Garden.