Benefits of Native Plants
When thinking about which plants you want in your landscaping or garden, there are so many options. Whether that be to grow primarily flowers, or vegetables and herbs, or a focus on any of the numerous niches in the gardening world. One thing you should consider though is putting a priority on native plants. It’s the more sustainable choice due to the natural resilience those plants are going to have to your climate.
In addition, these plants do not require many inputs such as fertilizer, they should already be adapted to the soil conditions and nutrient levels that you already have to work with. If you like slightly corny educational videos, check out this video by Clear Choices Clean Water Indiana. It does a great job of explaining how excess fertilizer gets into our water supply.
If you have the problem of not enough water, either year round or maybe your area has a drought period - and these days, who doesn’t have a drought period? Then you might want to think about native plants because they have a tendency to use less water. Designing a garden landscape to use as little water is also it’s own category, called xeriscaping. Pronounced like it begins with a ‘z’, xeriscaping has been growing in popularity in areas of the American west where there is very little water year round. Even if you don’t live in an area with very little rain, native plants can also be great when it comes to the ability to handle torrential downpours. In my area, when it rains, it pours, and tornadoes are a serious threat. Not only are the plants we grow here able to withstand heavy rains, they also do relatively well in high winds. So, just something to think about when planning for next season!
Another benefit people forget about native plants is the decreased need to mow. This is especially relevant if you are trying to rewild your lawn. How To Save A Planet actually did an entire episode about lawns, the history of them, how much carbon they put into the atmosphere, and the benefits of going no-mow, or at least getting a non-powered push mower. Even if sustainability isn’t your main priority, doing things to decrease your mowing still saves you a ton of time, and saves you money, even if you do it yourself.
Speaking of rewilding your lawn, did you know that native plants also provide habitat for numerous insects and even small wildlife? I don’t know what you pictured when I said wildlife, but I’m thinking bunnys, not bears! Rewilding your lawn is one way to greatly increase wildlife shelter and food sources, but it’s far from the only way. Even if you just put native plants in your landscaping beds around your house, this still helps tremendously. Habitats are always healthier when you increase biodiversity and increase the amount of native plants. Those native plants are going to be more beneficial to the beneficial microbes and insects in your area. If you are really serious about supporting native wildlife, you can also get your property certified as a Certified Wildlife Habitat!
Last but not least, have you seen a native plant landscape? Have you seen a house or a commercial property with tons of native plants around it? They are most likely gorgeous, albeit sometimes a little chaotic. Some people embrace the chaos, others try to make their chosen area look more like a traditional landscaping bed, and I say, to each their own. Both styles are beautiful in my opinion and show off just how diverse native plants can be.
Landscape full of native plants from my hometown
