Go Natives! at
Pipers Creek Nursery
FAQs
Why plant natives?
Are you looking for a gardening approach that uses less water, is good for the environment, beneficial for wildlife, low maintenance, and still attractive? Consider native plant gardening.
Native plants evolved
over thousands of years and to our rainy winters and dry summers. Match the plants to your garden’s habitat--woodland plants
in a shady garden, meadow or prairie plants in a sunny garden, for
example. You’ll find that your garden requires less work than a
conventional landscape. Plus, native plants offer beautiful blooms, interesting
textures, nectar for butterflies, food for birds.
What plants do I use... ?
The key to native plant gardening is to base your garden on a habitat model found in nature, and to match the plants to that habitat. This may sound complicated but it is in fact what all successful gardeners do: evaluate the garden’s conditions and grow plants that thrive in those conditions.
While the specifics may vary from place to place, the broad categories of habitat models for the native plant garden are: woodland, meadow, prairie and wetland. If you have shady conditions, the native plants to choose from are the native woodland plants that grow in the forests in your area. If you have sunny conditions, look to native meadow or prairie species for your garden. And if you have very moist conditions, consider the native wetland plants that grow in local wild areas.
Can I do it myself?
Learning about the plants native to your area takes a lot of work, but it’s part of the great pleasure of native plant gardening. Even the simplest exploration of a local wild area will yield all kinds of information useful to the gardener: you’ll discover what plants grow together as part of a healthy plant community; you’ll see when plants bloom and when they produce seed; you’ll notice what wildlife the plants attract; and you’ll see which plants tend to create colonies and which plants are more restrained in their growth. All of this information will help you to design your landscape.
Along with exploring local natural areas, there are also many sources to help you determine what plants are native to your area: field guides (such as Peterson’s or Audubon’s), local naturalist groups, national organizations (such as the North American Native Plant Society--www.nanps.org), specialty native plant nurseries, university botany departments, botanical gardens and arboreta.
At the same time as you are learning about what plants are native to your area, you’ll need to evaluate your garden’s conditions. Considerations include: how much sun or shade your garden receives, the soil type (sand, clay, loam), soil pH (acidic, neutral, alkaline), soil moisture (wet, dry or in-between), soil drainage, etc.
How do I begin?
The key to native plant gardening is to base your garden on a habitat model found in nature, and to match the plants to that habitat. This may sound complicated but it is in fact what all successful gardeners do: evaluate the garden’s conditions and grow plants that thrive in those conditions.
This article is the third in Go for Green’s Gardening for Life series. For more information on the health and environmental benefits of gardening, please contact Go for Green toll free at 1-888-822-2848.
Lorraine Johnson writes books about native plant gardening. Her most recent books are 100 Easy-to-Grow Native Plants and The New Ontario Naturalized Garden.
I need help! Who do I call ?
Go Natives! will help you turn your water thirsty garden into a low maintenance sanctuary for people, birds and wildlife. We will design your new garden or show you how to do it yourself.
Contact Don Norman at 206) 542-1275
Alan Hensley at alan@piperscreeknursery.com (206) 297-1978
For inquiries about bulk sales, site visits, designs, restorations and mitigations call Don.
Site Visits and Consultations
Go Natives! will help you turn your water thirsty garden into a low maintenance sanctuary for people, birds and wildlife. We will design your new garden or show you how to do it yourself.
Contact Don Norman at don@gonatives.com (206) 542-1275
Alan Hensley at alan@piperscreeknursery.com (206) 297-1978
Revised: 03/04/08
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