Native vs. Non-native Plants in the Landscape 🌿

Mistflower and a common buckeye butterfly. 

A tradition in the US that is steadily being questioned is the use of non-native plants. People all over the country are discarding the “American Dream” yard, which features a majority of non-native plants and sod stretching as far as the eye can see.

But why do non-native plants have such a grip on gardens and landscapes in the US? Well, there are many intertwined explanations: foreign plant preference from settlers, nursery profit, pest-resistance, low-maintenance preference and exotic appeal… they’ve all played a part in society pushing the non-native plant. Less talked about is some of the subliminal messaging associated with native plants. MilkWEED, Joe-pye WEED, ironWEED. Settlers came here, saw these prolific plants, and subsequently gave them this “weed” designation. And in the same vein, we don’t seem to be short of pleasant-sounding non-natives. An iris, a rose, a daisy, a lily, a jasmine… so nice sounding that you’ve probably met people named after them! Overall, they just seem to be marketed better. Thankfully, native plants in the mainstream are overcoming the centuries of lackluster marketing…

Why Use Native Plants

• It’s simple to design a plant community. Native SE plants are naturally adapted to the sites we work in. It is peaceful to design knowing that your selected plants have existed in the area for centuries.
• Chances are, they will serve the ecosystem better. We don’t need to be experts in ecology in order to put our best foot forward in supporting our local ecosystem. This is when plating native is your friend. Evolutionarily, they have been molded to co-exist with the native critters that we all care about.

When to Use Non-Native Plants

Although all of our designed plant communities ALWAYS prioritize native plants, we are not afraid to plant a non-native. They may not lend the same peace of mind and authenticity that native plants do, but they can still play a meaningful role in the landscape. For us, we might include a non-native plant if:

• It’s edible.
• It is tested and proven within the site conditions.
• It is compatible with our other selected plants.
• It offers a practical solution.
• It isn’t invasive in our area. This one is required.

A well-selected non-native plant can fill a niche in a landscape AND support the ecosystem. It’s not always as simple as non-native = bad. It’s more so native = a safe bet.

For example, our low-mow seed mix includes lots of clover seed: it’s easy to establish, super resilient, pollinator friendly, relatively cheap, accessible, and it offers a “conventional” look which can be a huge factor with overbearing HOAs and societal pressures in today’s world.

Would a big meadow of natives be more effective in supporting the local ecosystem? Yes.

Does this non-native offer a practical way to support pollinators, mow less, stop using fertilizer/herbicide, reduce watering, and be up to code? Also, yes.

Our low-mow seed mix is clover seed heavy and matches the “traditional” lawn look of most neighborhoods. 

To conclude, we all should get involved with habitat restoration with the space we are afforded. The simplest way to get started and feel confident is by planting native. But we don’t recommend thinking of non-natives as evil—though, to be fair, kudzu is very much evil...

We treat native plants like the edge and corner pieces of a puzzle, imperative for defining its shape and character. Non-natives, when carefully considered, can exist as the supporting pieces that can help complete the picture, and not detract from it. They can exist together without compromising the integrity of the mission.