For weeks I have been bringing great native plants to your attention – hopefully, you are currently growing some of them or very interested in trying them in your garden. However, knowing we have a very diverse group of readers, I thought it would be appropriate to talk about what a native is and get you thinking.
Solidago ruguso 'Fireworks' with sedum
So what’s a native? Dr. Allan Armitage says “A native to me is a plant that was in mainland America when the Europeans arrived.” Ok, that’s a starting point. (BTW – if you are not familiar with Dr. Allan Armitage, he is the guru of perennials at University of Georgia.)
There are some passionate native plant enthusiasts who feel that only straight species of native plants are truly native. Straight species are plants that are exactly as they would have been if found in the wild long ago. Some native purists do not believe that cultivars should be included when designing with natives – that means no Echinacea ‘Kim’s Knee High’, no Solidago ‘Fireworks’, no Aster laevis ‘Bluebird’. While I understand their feelings, I don’t agree with them 100%.
If you are planting an area using restoration techniques, straight species are probably the way to go, however for general gardening purposes I say BRING ON THE CULTIVARS! There are so many wonderful cultivars of native plants that I cannot imaging a garden without them. Especially when you are educating (enticing) a new gardener and you want them to utilize natives – show them the best we’ve got!
Liatris spicata
Next is the topic of WHY to plant natives. When I first learned about native plants in college I understood the reason to be – natives are low maintenance and can adapt better to our site conditions. Now, my views have changed.
Natives are definitely not always easy, or low maintenance, and many times they need coddling – especially when planted in our local post-construction soil (no topsoil, hardpan, yuck). So you may be asking – why bother? BIODIVERSITY – this is a big word and my definition is (Webster’s dictionary may disagree with me slightly): by planting natives, we then provide food and habitat for insects and birds, which provide enjoyment for us and food source for other wildlife higher on the food chain. Did you know that Solidago (Goldenrod) supports 112 different species of caterpillars? Jimmy Buffet says we need more fruitcakes in this world – I say we need more Goldenrod!
So plant those natives – I am especially looking forward to my Asclepias tuberosa (Butterfly Weed). Why? Because the Monarch Butterfly caterpillars feed on it, and my daughter loves to go out each day and count how many caterpillars she can find. Why aren’t schools meeting “No Child Left Behind”? Because they don’t have caterpillars to count – but that’s for another day!
Happy Gardening!
6 Comments
Good article
I think it’s possible for both us and the bugs n’ beasties to have the best of all worlds if we put a little bit of thought into it. Wild things are surprisingly adaptable and often not at all bothered where their food or shelter comes from! We also shouldn’t forget that some of our ‘wild’ habitats (and all of the accompanying biodiversity) have benefited greatly from human interaction over the centuries (managed woodlands, meadows, hedgerows, stone walls etc).
My tiny urban garden (around 24′ long by 18′ wide) is dominated by a mature silver birch and is mainly filled with ‘pure’ native UK species (meadow and woodland), but there’s also a healthy dose of cultivars and non-natives in the mix too – things like Mediterranean herbs, ornamental alliums, sweet peas, verbenas,violas, lavenders, nicotianas, argyranthemums, crocuses, dianthus, tomatoes, chilis, strawberries and raspberries, which please both me and all of my wild visitors.
There are also a couple of things that I grow purely for the creatures hereabouts – stinging nettle is the obvious one, as I’m often reminded whenever I brush against it! By the same token, there are a handful of pleasures just for me – gazanias for cutting will always have a place on the patio.
As you’ve proved, there are both beautiful ‘pure’ natives and lovely mixed-up cultivars in abundance that enhance our gardens for everyone and everything.
Hey Wendy – great article. I’ve been slowly re-introducing the natives in my garden thanks to some persuasion from my friendly neighbor. And when you think about all the benefits – natives seem to make so much sense.
More natives!
Totally agree, sometimes cultivars of natives are the way to go. Although it’s tough to improve on woodland plants, even trilliums, columbine and Solomon’s seal have been cultivated.
Loved the term ‘nativar’. I’m going to borrow it.
Totally agree, sometimes cultivars are the way to go. Although it’s tough to improve of woodland plants, even trilliums, columbine and Solomon’s seal have been cultivated.
Loved the term ‘nativar’. I’m going to borrow it.
nicely put!
Hey Wendy! It was great working with you at the conference; I’ve put your blog in my favorites list
I do wish that there had been a bit more scientific discussion at Millersville (particularly at the Gay or Straight talk) about cultivars vs straight species. For me it is all about the bugs and I would love to hear the nitty gritty about cultivars. In terms of getting the average gardener interested in natives you are so right about using cultivars.