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“By observing native plants, the gardener gains a more
profound insight into seasonal rhythms and life cycles.
This, in turn, assists in developing a sense of identity
with nature and the natural environment. There is that
marvelous sense of satisfaction resulting from
encouraging rare species of plants, or perhaps
reestablishing species which might once have been
abundant in the wild and may have previously grown
in nearby areas."
– Gardening with Native Wild Flowers
Samuel Jones, Jr. and Leonard Foote
Foxglove
then relocated and nurtured until
they are reestablished.
Fortunately, today there are
many nurseries which specialize in
native plants, and even
“mainstream" nurseries carry at
least a basic selection.
To avoid contributing to the
conservation problem, you should
ask where a nursery gets its
native stock, and only buy from
those which propagate their own
plants, not from those which
gather them in the wild.
While local nurseries may be a
resource for some native plants, a
wider range is available through
mail order sources. Many also sell
seeds. Suppliers can be found in
gardening magazines or through
the Internet.
Native plant societies, local
conservation associations,
botanic gardens, and government
agencies such as the County
Cooperative Extension can direct
you to additional resources.
Local nature centers and garden
clubs often have sales or “plant
swaps" where you can get
inexpensive plants and learn about
what species have done well for
others in your area.
Plants will have the greatest
chance of survival if they have been
propagated in a climate zone similar
to your own.
If you have the space, one of the
easiest ways to add native plants
to your landscape is to simply leave
a portion of your yard unmowed. You
might be amazed at the wildflowers
which appear when given the chance
to flourish.
Even if the showier plants don’t
grow right away, remember that
many butterfly host plants are
“weeds" such as plantain, clover,
and vetch.
Allowing an area to “go wild" will
benefit wildlife and ensure more
butterflies and bees for pollination
in your garden.
In already existing planting areas
you can tuck native flowers among
your other perennials, plant
hedgerows or evergreen windbreaks
along your property line, or create
islands of native shrubs and trees
in an open area of lawn.
Traditional lawns are of very
little value to wildlife and require a
large investment of time, energy,
and resources to maintain, so it’s
beneficial to reduce the amount of
cut grass and replace it with more
valuable plantings.
Does using natives in your
flowerbeds mean that you have to
settle for scraggly, nondescript
plants. Not at all!
Many natives are showy
performers in their own right, while
others become much more
attractive when they are removed
from natural competition and
given additional sunlight and
water.
Gardeners in England treasure
the goldenrod which is only native
to America, yet here we often
consider it an annoying weed.
As previously mentioned, follow
the lead of nature and strive for
diversity in your plantings. This
means that you should have a
variety of species and types of
plants (herbaceous perennials,
