Lovely and low-maintenance, native plants thrive in Ohio
You have probably heard about how you help the environment when you grow native plants.
Birds love them, bees depend on them, and they help support your local ecosystem in countless other ways, too.
But did you know that native plants can also make your life easier?
That’s a message that Shana Byrd, director of land conservation at Dawes Arboretum near Newark and one of the organizers of its annual Ohio Sustainable Landscapes Symposium, hopes to spread.
“They’re really welladapted,” she said. “They don’t require fertilization or heavy irrigation. They’re much lower-maintenance (than many non-native species). For some people, that may be their most valuable asset.”
There is a native plant, or a range of natives, for almost any situation, she added — sunny or shady, moist or dry.
“You have a tremendous variety,” she said. “And once they are added to a garden landscape, they require very little maintenance.”
Native plants also offer year-round beauty. The idea that a native landscape has to look overgrown and weedy couldn’t be further from the truth.
A thoughtfully planned garden can feature beautiful flowers and foliage from spring through fall; in winter, dried leaves and seed heads add visual interest.
Byrd shared a few easyto-grow favorites that are readily available at nurseries and that thrive in Ohio’s climate:
• For spring, she suggested eastern columbine, a woodland perennial that boasts dangling flowers in red and yellow. “It’s gorgeous,” she said.
Another top native for spring is eastern redbud, a small tree with pinkishlavender blooms — “one of my absolute favorites,” Byrd added.
• For late spring and early summer, she suggested blue
If you go
The ninth annual Ohio Sustainable Landscapes Symposium will take place Aug. 10 at Dawes Arboretum near Newark. This year’s theme is “Designing Sustainable Landscapes With Native Plants.” Speakers include:
• Alan Branhagen, author of “Native Plants of the Midwest: A Comprehensive Guide to the Best 500 Species for the
false indigo — “so striking when it’s in bloom.”
A top spring-blooming tree is cucumber magnolia, Garden.”
• Denise Ellsworth, Department of Entomology at Ohio State University.
• Denise Natoli Brooks, Licking County Soil and Water Conservation District.
The cost for the daylong event (8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.) is $64 for nonmembers, or $49 for members; registration may be limited.
For more information, visit www.dawesarb.org.
which features fragrant, showy flowers.
• For summer, she recommends marsh blazing star, also known as gayfeather, a perennial with dramatic spikes of purple flowers.
And, just in case you like hummingbirds (doesn’t every gardener?), she also mentioned cardinal flower, a perennial beloved for its bright-red blooms.
“It’s just brilliantly colored,” Byrd said. “Hummingbirds are its primary pollinators.”
Diana Lockwood, a freelance writer covering gardening topics, posts on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ mrsgardenperson.