6 Reasons to Plant Native / by Archewild
Establishing native species on your property allows for ecosystem processes that can’t be achieved with common lawn grass or ornamentals. If you want to rebuild and strengthen the natural habitat in your backyard, that plan has to include native plants. There are many, many important reasons to start restoring your property with native plants, so let’s start with the basics:
1. Self-Sustaining
Native plants are money and time-saving machines if you know which ones to pick. Properly selected native plants that match your property’s environmental conditions will self-seed, grow deep roots, and thrive for generations with little to no maintenance. Tell that to your canna lily.
2. Multi-trophic Benefits
This is a fancy way of saying that your native plants play an integral role in your local food chain. The plants sustain the pollinators that feed the birds that eat and disperse the seed so the cycle can continue indefinitely. Plants that are not natural to the environment just can’t offer the same benefits.
3. Carbon sequestration
We all know the danger and urgency of carbon emissions by now, but did you know that your native plants can trap and sequester carbon back into the soil where it belongs? Native plants that have deep, extensive roots do this infinitely better than turf grass or ornamentals.
4. Better symbiosis
Microorganisms in the soil rely on healthy, extensive root structures from native plants. In turn, the thriving microbes produce and deliver nutrients to the plant. This benefit sharing means better soil for other native plants or even a thriving vegetable garden.
5. Healthy pollinators
Did you know that bees will travel up to two miles for nectar? And bats travel even further. The insects and animals that you attract to your yard will not only pollinate you and your neighbors’ plants, but they’ll also help keep pest populations under control! Bye bye mosquitos!
6. Improved Habitat
While restoring natural habitats can feel like an uphill battle, the truth is that the benefits of planting natives can be immediate. In one season, your native plants will have provided many times more benefits that lawn grass could in its lifetime. So let’s get started!
Article Attribution: ArcheWild (archewild.com, 855-752-6862)
