Introduction
Landscaping and gardening with plants native to your area can add beauty to your property while requiring less water, fertilizer and maintenance. In fact, it is recommended that no fertilizer be used when transplanting prairie plants. Because they are already adapted to the climate and rainfall of your area, they will require less care after becoming established. If you have watched your neighbor struggle to keep roses alive throughout the winter, you understand our point.
Native plants are defined as those present before European settlement.
Why use Native Plants?
By providing food and shelter, native plant gardens may be able to attract hummingbirds, butterflies and wildlife. Many scientists believe that birds, animals and plants evolved together, and therefore rely upon one another. Replacing native vegetation with imported plants, removes a piece from the local ecological puzzle.
Some introduced plants can "escape" from gardens and compete with native plants in the wild. No, they don't pull up their roots and run. Rather, their seeds may be carried by the wind, other animals, or they may be deposited elsewhere in bird droppings.
Buying Native Plants
Most nurseries carry at least some native plants. Those with the showiest flowers or that have adapted well to cultivation can be found locally. For those seeking to restore a prairie or create a more authentic prairie garden, native plant sales or mail order outlets can help. See our resources and links page for more information. It is never ethical to dig wild plants unless they are threatened by development. With so many sources available, digging wild plants is not only unethical, it is unnecessary.
Create Wildlife Habitat at Home
As our society expands, people move away from the cities to be closer to nature. Unfortunately, many of these people take their suburban lawns with them. Converting countryside open space to homes and large lawns simplifies the available habitat. Simplification means to make all of the habitat the same, and therefore, some species are favored over others. Note the explosion in the numbers of European starlings, house sparrows and others that exist on the coattails of civilization.
Leaving a portion of your lot for a native prairie garden will add beauty to your property, while providing much-needed wildlife habitat for your area.