Grow Native
Attract birds and wildlife like never before with plants from your region.
THE EFFORT TO GROW NATIVES IS WORTH IT.
These beauties improve the environment in so many ways because they’ve evolved over time with the birds, bees and animals that depend on them. Natives are attractive, remove impurities from the air, release oxygen, and help manage stormwater, reducing the risk of flooding. Their deep roots create pathways for rainwater to move through the soil instead of running off into streets, and they filter out contaminants in the water before it returns to groundwater sources.
It’s worthwhile—and easy—to work natives into your current landscape. No matter the size of your garden, patio, balcony or window box, natives fit in anywhere.
MAKE THE SWITCH
Starting slowly is often the key to long-term success. Look for ways to easily add local plants to existing beds and containers. Fill voids or replace struggling greenery with a native tree, shrub or perennial suited to the growing conditions and decorative needs of your garden. Or dedicate an entire section to natives. Organize in masses or small clusters for the greatest visual impact. Group the plants in a way that allows winged visitors to gather food more efficiently.
Another option is to devote an entire area to an all-natural plot. Leave a strip of mown grass or decorative fencing around the perimeter and add a birdhouse or feeder to signal to neighbors that you are gardening with a purpose. But before you start, contact your local municipality for any regulations related to growing this type of landscape in your neighborhood.
Expand Your Search
Native plants are plentiful and diverse. Contact your local nature center, botanical garden or extension office for guidance. Blanket flower (1), purple coneflower (2), bee balm (3) and coreopsis (4) are a few of the best options.
Prepare the soil before putting your plants in the ground. Because most backyard soils were altered during the building of homes and communities, give the soil a boost with compost or other organic matter. Work it into the top 12 inches of soil and rake smooth before planting your natives.
For the first few years, you may need to provide a bit of TLC and weed control, but once established, native perennials flourish and bloom with minimal care. Many are quite vigorous and quickly fill a small urban or suburban lot. Choose plants carefully, combine those that are equally assertive, and do a bit of regular dividing if you need to control their enthusiastic spread.
BIRD MAGNETS
Soon, you’ll start to see one of the major benefits of growing native. The plants feed your favorite birds for free! Hummingbirds visit to sip nectar from honeysuckle vine or columbine, and songbirds dine on the seeds of coneflowers, black-eyed Susans and sunflowers. Leaving seed-producing perennials in place for winter is a super
simple way to supplement the bird feeders you already have in your yard.
Go one step further and expand your offerings to include native berry-producing shrubs and trees like dogwood, serviceberry, holly and viburnum. Growing a variety of local plants helps attract birds year-round. Be sure to look for tree species that produce seeds and berries during different seasons to provide a steady source of food.
Drawing birds in with native plants has advantages beyond feeding. During the growing season, many nesting songbirds and hummingbirds feed on insects and, consequently, help manage pests in your garden. And native plants provide shelter for birds and other critters that live or pass through your neighborhood.
POLLINATOR-FRIENDLY
Native plants offer benefits to all kinds of fliers. Butterflies, native bees and other pollinators are critical to the food we eat and natural beauty we enjoy. By cultivating a habitat where they thrive, you help them produce the next generation of plants. Butterflies nectar on a variety of indigenous flowers, and caterpillars depend on natives as a food source. Most flowering plants need an animal, usually an insect, to visit them in search of food, transporting pollen from flower to flower so they can produce seeds. It’s a win-win for all.
Once the native spaces are well established, leave your yard in a more natural state. Many bugs make their homes in the hollow stems of perennials and shrubs, debris piles and tree cavities. Letting perennials stand in winter and leaving leaf litter on the ground is a simple way to increase the population of wildlife, native bees and beneficial bugs.
As you experience and share the benefits and beauty of growing natives, you might even find you have started an eco-friendly trend in your neighborhood!
Melinda Myers grew natives at her former city lot and now grows them at her large rural lot. Her efforts continue to lure winged visitors.