Why Use Native Plants?
Wildlife – The natural Food Web is built on the presence of native plants. Many Insects depend on native plants as food sources and cannot thrive without them. 80-90% of our landscapes are composed of non-native plants which insects are unable to use. In turn, Insects are a major food sources for many other forms of wildlife, birds and many mammals…..so without insects, the food web deteriorates.
Diversity – The monoculture created by turf grass and foreign plants that make up most of our gardens takes the place of plant species that would normally be there. Furthermore, the maintenance of these types of landscapes often includes chemical pesticides and herbicides designed to eliminate any other plants that try to grow and any insects that may feed there. We have many beautiful native plants that can provide greater interest and diversity in our gardens and surroundings while enhancing Biodiversity all around
Adaptability – Because native plants evolved here in our climate and soils, they are adapted to our weather extremes and perform better than plants from somewhere else. Many native plants can handle the wet soils, heavy rainfall and hot temperatures that are common here. They also have developed defenses against disease and insect pressures that exotic plants do not, therefore, they tend to require less spraying, less fertilizing and less fussing over in general