Go native in your garden this spring
by Fawn Pattison

When spring arrives, it’s time to get outside and put our hands into the dirt - and to head to the garden center to pick out some new plants for the yard.  The plants you choose will go a long way in determining the success of your garden, and native plants are the best choice for creating beautiful landscapes that don’t need lots of chemicals, fertilizers and watering.  Choosing native plants may take a little more planning in the spring, but it will pay off all through the year.

Many people think that using native plants just means having a wildflower patch, but even the most formal garden can feature flowers, shrubs, grasses and trees that are native to our region.  Because they’ve been growing in our area for thousands of years, native plants are well adapted to our local soils and climate, and more likely to survive and thrive through our long hot summers.  Planting natives also means providing more food and natural habitat for the pollinators and wildlife we want in our backyards, many of which are also natural enemies of common garden pests.     

Better-adapted plants also mean much less need for pesticides, fertilizers and other chemical inputs that many gardeners are all too prone to soak the soils with this time of year.  Since most native plants are more resistant to the diseases and pests common to our area, they can save you many hours of garden labor – not to mention gallons of treatments – spent combating common problems.      

As native plants grow in popularity, they are becoming easier to find in neighborhood garden centers, but many nurseries specialize in natives and offer a wider variety.  The NC Botanical Garden (919-962-0522, http://www.ncbg.unc.edu/) provides a list of native plants they recommend and places to get them. The NC Wildlife Federation (704-332-5696, http://www.ncwf.org) also offers a list of recommended native plants for our area, as well as education & certification programs for backyards, schoolyards or churchyards that use native species to provide habitat for wildlife.

Summer phlox in the Snowbird Wilderness Area, Nantahala National Forest. Photo: Fawn Pattison. Here are a few of Toxic Free NC’s favorite native plants for attracting beneficial insects: * Butterfly Milkweed, Asclepias tuberosa * Eastern Bluestar, Amsonia tabernaemontana (2006 NC Wildflower of the Year) * Wild Bleeding-heart, Dicentra exima * Woodland Sunflower, Helianthus divaricatus * Cardinal-flower, Lobelia cardinalis * Summer Phlox, Phlox paniculata * Anise-scented Goldenrod, Solidago odora * New York Ironweed, Veronica noveboracensis * Viburnum, Viburnum spp. * Service-berry, Amelanchier arborea

Toxic Free News is a publication of
Toxic Free North Carolina
206 New Bern Place, Raleigh, NC 27601, (919) 833-5333, Toll-free 1-877-NO-SPRAY
http://www.toxicfreenc.org

Mission: Toxic Free NC advocates for alternatives to toxic pesticides in North Carolina by empowering people to make sound decisions about their health and environment.

Staff: Communications Associate: Alejandra Gómez; Program Coordinator: Billie Karel; Executive Director: Fawn Pattison; Interns: Ben Matchar and Kim Moore

Board of Directors: Allen Spalt, President; Katherine M. Shea, Vice President; Colleen Boudreau, Treasurer; Annette Hiatt; Mindy Hiteshue; Cathy Jones; Omar Laínez; Annie O'Leary; Michelle Nowlin; Billie Rogers, Emeritus; Jane Sharp MacRae, Emeritus; Erick Umstead, Emeritus.

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