More and more gardeners are adding native plants to their landscapes. These plants provide more than beautiful flowers for us to enjoy. They also support pollinators and other beneficial insects, and provide food and shelter for songbirds, toads, and other wildlife.
In addition, these plants help protect and improve our soil and manage stormwater. The plants slow stormwater runoff and help direct it into the soil through pathways created by their deep roots to the groundwater below. These deep roots also help break up compacted clay soils.
Legumes like blue false indigo (Baptisia australis) that are hardy in zones 3 to 10 help add nitrogen to the soil while supporting a variety of pollinators. Look to woodland native plants if you are gardening in the shade. Tall black cohosh (Actaea racemosa) grows 4 to 6 feet tall, has white flowers in summer, and is a host plant for the Appalachian azure butterfly.
The spring-blooming native columbine’s (Aquilegia canadensis) red and yellow flowers provide food for hummingbirds and long-tongued insects. Wild ginger (Asarum canadense) makes an excellent groundcover that can hold its ground against garlic mustard and other invasive plants. Perhaps you or members of your household have been reluctant to add these plants to your landscape.
Some people worry that these plants won’t fit in with their current landscape design or be accepted by their neighbors. One option is to start including native plants in your landscape one plant or garde.