Our planet is struggling right now and most of us would like to take positive action to help Earth get back on track. Opting to install a native plant garden is a rewarding way to support Mother Nature while making life easier for ourselves too.
So don’t let “first-time” jitters keep you from your first native plant garden. Once you understand the basic principles of native gardening, you’ll find it takes less effort and brings more satisfaction than you could have imagined. We’re here to help with tips for getting started, including a short list of elements to include – not all of them botanical!
Why Native Plant Gardening?
Native plants are plants that grow naturally in a region in which they evolved. They're the ecological building blocks on which local insect and bird life depends.
Sadly, as urbanization has spread, healthy plant ecosystems have been replaced by highly manicured lawns and ornamental plants. Sterile carpets of grass and exotic plants are not functioning natural areas that can support wildlife. Critical insect populations are dying out as their host plants are removed, causing an important reduction in bird species too.
The landscaping choices you make today can impact this imbalance. Plant your garden with the planet in mind, selecting native plants that support native birds and the insects they need to survive.
But even if you decide to plant a native garden to benefit bugs and birds and nature in general, you will reap benefits yourself. Native plants are easier to care for and require less care and chemicals than exotic species from other regions. You’ll be doing less work and getting more of a thrill as your plants thrive, and birds and beneficial bugs flock to your backyard.
Tips for Native Plant Gardening
Many of the classic gardening principles apply to native plant gardening as well. Here are our top five:
- Become familiar with your site – map out your garden, then note and mark the sun exposure of each area. Making a sun map isn't just about sun or shade – figure out how many hours of sun each area gets and whether it’s direct, indirect, or dappled. Keep this information at hand as you select plants for the different sections of the landscape.
- Consider the plants growing in the area currently. Remove all vegetation that isn’t native and healthy. Take out weeds down to the roots.
- Work the soil thoroughly. Remove any rocks, cement, bricks, or similar items.
- Take a soil test. Using the results, figure out if something needs to change. Amend the soil only if necessary. Native plants thrive in native soil, so lots of fertilizer isn't likely to be required.
- Figure out the space you have available to fill with plants. Observe and note power lines, existing trees and buildings, and any other factors that might impact the height or width of the shrubs you install.
Elements for your Native Garden
You might think that plants will be the main element of your native plant garden – and you would be right! But they shouldn’t be the only one. Include all four of these elements to create a thriving ecosystem in your backyard.
1. Native Plants
Cities have a way of swallowing up the native ecosystem, so you may not even know what plants evolved in your region. Visit the local nursery or botanical garden to get information and do your own native plant research online. Don’t limit yourself to the “prettiest” native plants or the showiest flowers. Figure out what plants attract the insects that local birds eat, and add those to the mix as well.
To up the visual appeal of the garden, pick native plants in a variety of colors, textures and sizes. Learn the mature size of trees, shrubs, and perennials before purchasing so that you can give them plenty of room to grow.
Don’t go for the big specimens in 5 gallon pots. Pick plants in much smaller containers. They'll outgrow those big-container plants in a few years. And with natives, don’t rough up the plant roots when removing them from the container. Take a hands-off approach.
2. Native Trees
Every garden is more exciting and beautiful if it has different sizes of plants. If possible, include a tree – or at least a shrub that will mature to be taller than you are – in your native garden. In addition to aesthetics, trees provide safe landing spots for birds and even – with a little luck – nesting areas. (Take it from me: there's nothing more delightful than watching your birds learn to fly!)
3. Water
According to the California Department of Water Resources, a drought-tolerant native garden can use 85 percent less water every year than a traditional landscape with turf and high-water use plants. Still you might want to include a water feature in your garden.
Insects, birds, and small mammals need water to survive, so be sure to provide it in your native garden. While wildlife can use rainwater, our summers are increasingly hot and dry, so a water feature will be a big draw.
For starters, set out a few plant pot saucers with water. Make one insect-friendly by filling it with small rocks before adding water. Here in San Francisco, I’ve found butterflies and native bees perching on the rocks to sip the water.
The Bee Cups shop on Amazon boasts some really beautiful bee watering stations.
Select a deeper saucer as a bird bath, allowing neighborhood birds to cool off, as well as to rinse out dirt and parasites. If you’ve got more land and a bigger budget, consider building a small pond or a fountain.
4. Bug Lodging
With the possible exceptions of lady bugs and butterflies, most insects don’t have the same appeal to us as birds do. But native insects are critical, since they both pollinate native plants and provide core food for native birds.
How to attract beneficial insects? Including flowering plants in your garden will be a big draw to bees and other pollinators, but making a bug hotel helps too. Bug hotels – or insect hotels – bring beneficial insects into the area by offering them shelter and nesting sites. Build a bug hotel from a mix of materials like wood chunks with holes drilled into them, pinecones, and pieces of bamboo. There are no architectural requirements for these structures – make them as simple or fancy as you like.
Bug hotels provide safe habitat for solitary bees, ladybugs, lacewings, beetles, and other insects, building a larger and more balanced ecosystem in your native garden. Some of the insects will be predators that help eliminate insect pests, while others will be food for birds or serve as plant pollinators.
Amazon sells a huge array of bug hotels, including this one.
