Why Native Plants

In recent years there has been a lot of discussion regarding the use of native plants. Their uses seem such an obvious fit to those who want the human footprint to be as small as possible. But some of the reasoning behind their uses seems to differ from reality. Let’s ask ourselves some basic questions, and see how those answers help us understand our reasons for using natives in our landscapes.

Based on what I have read in the native plant catalogs these are statements used to promote native plant use: ‘Pest free’, ‘disease free’, ‘drought tolerant’, ‘adapted to our climate’, ‘encourage birds and butterflies’, ‘once established they require less care’. All of these are very good reasons and would excite any gardener to plant them. Let’s break down some of these arguments  and see if they hold up.

Pest Free: If 96% of a birds diet are insects, especially in the spring when feeding their fledglings, and natives are pest free how is it you can have birds in your garden if you have no insects or caterpillars to eat?

Disease Free: Diseases (bacterial and fungus) are most prevalent in weak, unhealthy plants, regardless if a native or non native. The natives have evolved to coexist with the native diseases. It is part of the circle that keeps everything in check.  Most of the non-natives and cultivars sold in the nurseries these days are selected for their disease and pest resistance.

Drought Tolerance: All plants have evolved for many millions of years to be drought tolerant, moisture tolerant and everything in between. There are many non-natives that will grow very well in our ecosystem if given the opportunity. Some like it dry while others like it moist, some like gravelly soils while others don’t care one way or the other. All of these needs have nothing to do with being native or non native.

Adapted to our climate: As stated above, plant will adapt very well regardless if native or not.

Encourage Birds and Butteries to your garden: As mentioned earlier I don’t know how you can have pest free plants and encourage the birds into the garden. The birds favorite foods are insects & caterpillars (many caterpillars are the pupae stage of butterflies).

Once established they require less care: As mentioned earlier if the plants adapts well to our climate, native or not, once established they will require little care. In fact part of the problem with non natives is they can out compete the natives and become invasive, requiring no care.

So, do we want to plant natives?  Yes! Is it just another passing nursery fad? No! If there is a plant trend that can stay with us for generations it is the idea of using native plants that can endure in Northern Michigan. We just need to be sure we understand why we are planting them and how they will impact the way we view our gardens and surrounding habitat.

I will explain my view of the use of native plants. Think of our ecosystem as a circle. In the circle are all the parts; sun, plants, and the animals that eat the plants, and the only way the ecosystem works is if the circle stays intact, (for now let’s remove ourselves from this circle). The Sun’s energy is absorbed by plants, plants take energy from the sun and turn it into food, fuel, energy for all other living creatures on this planet. Along the way the waste is recycled by microbial activity (bacteria & fungus) and reused by the plants to help them start the process over. In the life of the circle there is death and it is celebrated as much as life for without it the circle will not  continue. This all happens without humans in the circle. In our ecosystem native flora (plants) and native fauna (all other creatures) have worked out a balance. Plants evolve to fend off insects, insects evolve to feed on those plants. This ever-changing battle is what makes every ecosystem unique from other ecosystems. Many insects like only the taste of certain plants, plants that they have evolved with over the millions of years. Non-native plants are not recognized by insects as food. In many cases the fruit is not recognized by the native birds in the autumn & winter when food is so scarce. If we introduce a new plant to our ecosystem without the benefit of countless  years of evolution, and there are no natural predators, be it insects, or the like, then what keeps the new plants in check?

To me, this is the most important consideration in the introduction of any non-native plant into our ecosystem. How will it interact with our existing fauna? Can it become part of the circle, or does it operate outside of the circle. And if it operates outside the circle how will it affect the ecosystem. I’m not sure any of these questions can be answered in increments of our lifetime when it has taken many millennium, if not more, for the natives to establish there equilibrium.

To me the importance of native plants over non-native is twofold.

·        Are we willing to stop bringing over new and beautiful plants from afar to add interest in the gardens…non-natives?

·        Are we willing to live with native insects, spiders, and caterpillars in our garden, feeding on native plants, so the birds and other animals up the food chain can survive?

When thinking about your next plant purchase think of the circle. Come to an understanding of how it works and how your plant purchase can impact the circle then let that help guide you in your approach to planting your garden. I think there is a way to have both natives and non-natives. What is most important is to be sure there is adequate food for all the fauna, including insects, spiders and caterpillar.

I put on a workshop not long ago and one of my first questions was “What is a native plant”. No one raised their hand. Maybe if you knew what was available in the way of native plants you will see that there are many that can give you all the color, texture and fruit that is so important to our modern garden.I am not asking that you reinvent your garden. Maybe understanding the importance of using natives can be the start of a new direction in your future garden development.