How to Bring Native Plants Into an Established Garden
You don’t have to start over to grow a new garden
If you are itching to add native plants to your garden, don’t feel as though you have to start over. Don’t worry that native plants won’t look right with your established and thriving ornamental plants. When I started gardening, I was mixing plants from all over the world, including plants from my prairie region.
Choosing what you love and what wildlife love isn’t as hard as it may seem. Here are some opportunities and strategies to help your landscape grow into a stronger ecosystem.
Choosing what you love and what wildlife love isn’t as hard as it may seem. Here are some opportunities and strategies to help your landscape grow into a stronger ecosystem.
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Eastern U.S. native eastern redbud blooms in spring in this Indiana garden.
Replace the dearly departed. When plants die, they leave holes in the garden. Instead of rushing out to the nursery to replace them with the same plants, you can take this opportunity to learn a bit more about your garden and its conditions. What’s in the soil? Is there a lot of competition from other plants? Is there not enough sun or rain, or is there too much?
Then learn about some native plants that would thrive in those site conditions. If your sunny, dry spot can’t seem to grow anything, consider drought-tolerant natives. If you’re like me and lost a hybrid crabapple, you might consider a native serviceberry (Amelanchier spp.), chokecherry (Prunus virginiana) or redbud (Cercis spp.).
How to Find the Right Plants for Your Garden
Replace the dearly departed. When plants die, they leave holes in the garden. Instead of rushing out to the nursery to replace them with the same plants, you can take this opportunity to learn a bit more about your garden and its conditions. What’s in the soil? Is there a lot of competition from other plants? Is there not enough sun or rain, or is there too much?
Then learn about some native plants that would thrive in those site conditions. If your sunny, dry spot can’t seem to grow anything, consider drought-tolerant natives. If you’re like me and lost a hybrid crabapple, you might consider a native serviceberry (Amelanchier spp.), chokecherry (Prunus virginiana) or redbud (Cercis spp.).
How to Find the Right Plants for Your Garden
Spaces under trees and shrubs provide an opportunity to use native plants instead of wood mulch.
Fill common garden gaps. Many gardens have room for more plants, whether it’s underneath existing plants or in tight corners. Here’s a chance to work in some natives. The ground layer is often the most open, covered in wood mulch or shaded by a taller plant. Depending on your region, you can look to plants like purple poppy mallow (Callirhoe involucrata), sedges like shortbeak sedge (Carex brevior) or Sprengel’s sedge (C. sprengelii), pasque flower (Pulsatilla patens), prairie smoke (Geum triflorum), wild geranium (Geranium maculatum) or tickseed (Coreopsis spp.).
If the place to fill is narrow and full of competition, there are plenty of natives that don’t have a big footprint: most blazing stars (Liatris spp.) and onions (Allium spp.), such as nodding onion (A. cernuum), thrive in small openings.
Always remember to match the plants you choose to your soil as well as to the amount of light and rainwater your garden receives.
Fill common garden gaps. Many gardens have room for more plants, whether it’s underneath existing plants or in tight corners. Here’s a chance to work in some natives. The ground layer is often the most open, covered in wood mulch or shaded by a taller plant. Depending on your region, you can look to plants like purple poppy mallow (Callirhoe involucrata), sedges like shortbeak sedge (Carex brevior) or Sprengel’s sedge (C. sprengelii), pasque flower (Pulsatilla patens), prairie smoke (Geum triflorum), wild geranium (Geranium maculatum) or tickseed (Coreopsis spp.).
If the place to fill is narrow and full of competition, there are plenty of natives that don’t have a big footprint: most blazing stars (Liatris spp.) and onions (Allium spp.), such as nodding onion (A. cernuum), thrive in small openings.
Always remember to match the plants you choose to your soil as well as to the amount of light and rainwater your garden receives.
Lead plant spends its first few years developing a deep taproot and won’t crowd short-lived perennials nearby.
Anticipate plant absences. If you have a plant already in your garden that research shows is not going to be long-lived, you can start thinking now about what you can grow near it that will be able to fill the gap it will leave without missing a step.
Many native plants are slower to establish and won’t crowd out established specimens in your garden for many years. Perennials like blue wild indigo (Baptisia australis), butterfly milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa), lead plant (Amorpha canescens) and compass plant (Silphium laciniatum) spend their first few years developing deep taproots. Woody plants can also take several seasons to really get going as they adjust and adapt to their new homes.
Anticipate plant absences. If you have a plant already in your garden that research shows is not going to be long-lived, you can start thinking now about what you can grow near it that will be able to fill the gap it will leave without missing a step.
Many native plants are slower to establish and won’t crowd out established specimens in your garden for many years. Perennials like blue wild indigo (Baptisia australis), butterfly milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa), lead plant (Amorpha canescens) and compass plant (Silphium laciniatum) spend their first few years developing deep taproots. Woody plants can also take several seasons to really get going as they adjust and adapt to their new homes.
However you proceed and whatever you try, common gardening wisdom says: Enjoy it and don’t be afraid. Experiment with plants and textures, colors and sizes. You’ll make aesthetic and practical mistakes, but that’s how you learn and grow. As your landscape evolves, you evolve. As you add native plants, the number of pollinators, birds, spiders and more will rise, bringing you added joy and satisfaction.
While you may never part with your grandmother’s lilac, you can start a new tradition for your kids and grandkids alongside the lilac — one that celebrates native ecology and environmental health. So go ahead, plant that milkweed in there with the daylilies.
More
You Can Make Space for Native Plants in Any Landscape
‘Terroir’ Brings a Sense of Place to Your Landscape
4 Tips for Designing a Wildlife-Friendly Small Garden
While you may never part with your grandmother’s lilac, you can start a new tradition for your kids and grandkids alongside the lilac — one that celebrates native ecology and environmental health. So go ahead, plant that milkweed in there with the daylilies.
More
You Can Make Space for Native Plants in Any Landscape
‘Terroir’ Brings a Sense of Place to Your Landscape
4 Tips for Designing a Wildlife-Friendly Small Garden
Thanks, celestina. I was thinking of using a screen to sift the soil the best that I can.
Your
description of keeping after new shoots to weaken a plant sounds like my battle with thistle. Like the liriope stolons, I am short but
relentless, so I will keep at it! Thanks for the help. :)
I would not call it fun, celestina, but your method for removing rhizomatous plants is the same one I use. Some rhizomes are not as difficult as others, but if one wants to prevent a plant's return the extensive digging and screening are important. I made a large sieve using 2x4s to make a frame and attaching 1/2-inch hardware cloth. It's great when a low effort method works, but some projects require major effort and persistence.
@mindshift When ever I do boring jobs, I put on the ear plugs and some fav tunes. This helps my mind set into a "gotcha" pattern which works nicely for me. I also think about how nice my garden will be once I get rid of those interlopers. Of course, everyone has their own method of dealing with things that "need to be done but don't wanna" syndrome.
My sieve is an old metal frame from a barrel. I, too use hardware cloth. Works like a charm - a couple shovel fulls at a time. And in time, ya get 'er done.
Now, I have about a 5' tall compost pile that is about 8' diameter. And it's June - temps are hitting 90s hot humid and occasionally a breeze. It's sweat city. I need to divide that pile so that I can start using all that good stuff. Now, dang - where did I put those ear plugs? :)
I haven't used those store bought chemicals in over 30 years. Yeah, it takes more effort to do it old school, but to me #1 satisfaction that I get it all; #2 with no chemicals leaching into my well water or gardens I know my veggies and fruits are a clean as they gonna get. #3 I avoid "glowing in the dark" with constant digestion of chemicals. After all, the body can only get rid of so much. #4 When my doc asks me if I exercise - I say "follow me around any day of the week and see if ya can keep up." I do save a fortune of $ and time by not going to a gym, nor buying a home treadmill. Now THAT is boring. :)