TIPS FOR GOING NATIVE
Red Twig Dowgwood
Of the many ways that a gardener can utilize earth friendly practices, one of the most obvious yet least implemented of these is the use of native plantings. Natives blend beautifully with the better-known ornamentals we’ve come to love; known and loved primarily because they comprise the bulk of the offerings at our local nurseries. This becomes a type of positive feedback loop — people appreciate those plants on offer, the nurseries stock more of those appreciated plants, people continue to buy more of those same plants, etc. Native plants can be a hard sell, not because they are not valuable additions to the landscape but because folks just don’t know a whole lot about them. I’d like to change that.
So, what exactly is a native plant? According to the Federal Native Plant Committee, a native plant species is “one that occurs naturally in a particular region, state, ecosystem, and habitat without direct or indirect human actions.” According to National Park Service naturalist Lee Dittmann, “It takes thousands of years for the species of an area to co-evolve, to adapt to each other and to the peculiarities of their physical environment. This is why a plant species which has survived in the area for a few decades or even a couple of centuries isn’t considered to be native.” By most definitions a native plant is one that has existed here since before the arrival of Europeans in this region.
The bulk of the plants carried in local nurseries are therefore considered non-native. They are exotic cultivars – plants cultivated from species that grow naturally in other parts of the country or world that are valued ornamental additions to our local landscapes. They are attractive in a variety of ways: brightly colored, extraordinarily hardy, long-blooming, unusually textured. What is not advertised about many of these plants is that their demands are particular: frequent shearing or pruning, more dependency on regular watering and fertilizing, and potential invasiveness (becoming wild and outcompeting native plants for limited resources). In addition, many of these plants add little value in providing the food and shelter needed for survival by local wildlife.
When I began my career as a landscape designer five years ago the concept of native plantings was a bit of a mystery to me. The plants that I was most immediately familiar with were those that were commonly carried by local nurseries (those popular plants) or those that I knew by sight because they were so ubiquitous here in the valley (heavenly bamboo, for example). The more experience I gained the more I learned about the types of plants that not only do well in our climate but truly thrive here. It wasn’t until 2009, when I became involved with the OSU Master Gardener program, that I discovered the world of native plants. I became the head gardener of the Native Plant demonstration garden and began to learn the importance of considering these plants in my designs.
Vine Maple in Fall
I am currently involved in a creating a residential design for a client here in Jacksonville whose property abuts Daisy Creek. For those unfamiliar with this stream, it runs right along the outskirts of the historic core of Jacksonville. One would be forgiven for not recognizing this body of water as a protected riparian zone and potential salmon habitat, in that it more closely resembles a derelict drainage ditch full of gravel and algae than a healthy riparian ecosystem. My challenge in this project is to give my client the beautiful, profusely blooming and otherwise engaging outdoor space of her dreams while simultaneously planning for the restoration of the native riparian habitat whose protected boundary extends halfway into her yard.
As I’ve discovered, this is not nearly as hard as it sounds, and it’s probably one of the most educational and inspiring projects that I’ve ever worked on. To those who eschew the native plant community in favor of those plants considered to be the gold standard of beauty in the garden, I say you haven’t done your homework. Here are a few examples of the plants I’ve had the pleasure of working with recently.
First, Acer circinatum, commonly referred to as the Vine Maple. As is the case with many of our local natives, the Vine Maple tends to have multiple trunks and has more of a shrubby appearance than the average maple. It also has one of the most stunning displays of fall color in the maple species.
A deciduous shrub well suited to riparian habitats is the Cornus sericea, or Red-twig Dogwood. In addition to clusters of small white flowers in spring, this native shrub has an amazing display of red fall leaves and is probably best known for its display of bright red stems, a welcome shot of color during the grey days of winter.
When it comes to spring flowering, nothing comes close to the brilliant display of the Ribes sanguineum, or Red Flowering Currant; hummingbirds love the blooms and the off-white fall berries provide a feast for birds of all kinds.
Red Flowering Currant
The list goes on and on, as do the qualities that recommend our native plants to prominent places in the garden. While those qualities may now be more apparent the reason for blending natives into our cultivated landscapes goes beyond their beauty. These plants have been in this area for thousands of years. They have evolved into communities of plants that not only live in balance with one another but provide much needed food and shelter for local wildlife. They are an excellent addition to any residential garden because they are accustomed to our (usually) wet winters and our hot, dry summers. Once established they require little to no supplemental watering or fertilizing. Along with a variety of low-water, low-maintenance ornamental perennials and shrubs they form the backbone of a beautiful, easy care garden. Their flowers and berries will bring the butterflies and birds in droves.
I hope this inspires you to give natives a try. They are the perfect plants for our environment and their many varieties can provide four seasons of enjoyment. Go native this spring. You won’t regret it.
Michael Flaherty is the owner of Veridian Designs, a landscape design/build company specializing in
sustainable, low maintenance residential design. Mr. Flaherty is a member of the Association of
Professional Landscape Designers (APLD), an international organization representing more than 1,400
landscape designers. For more information please visit www.veridiandesigns.com.
Enjoyed the article, am going to put some of your methods to work in garden. Thank you
You are very welcome. I am happy to help if you have any questions on native plantings, or garden design in general.
New to the area, cleaning out the invasive Scotch broom,want to replace with native species. Live in Shady Cove, across street from Rogue River. Can you either provide or tell me where to get info on plants to consider?
Hi, Laura. There are a few things to consider. If you’ve positively ID’d it as scotch broom then you’ll definitely want a hardy native to replace it (Scotch broom thrive in poor soils). I would also suggest creating a general planting plan for the area so that you put the right plants in the right place and won’t need to redo the whole project in a few years. Deer are likely a consideration for you as well, so any plantings should be ‘deer resistant’ or they’ll be nibbled regularly (deer shy away from plants with rough/fuzzy/prickly leaves, strong scents, are naturally toxic, etc.).
With that understanding, pick plants whose mature size will work in that location and are appropriate to your needs/desires (i.e., blocking undesirable views, soil retention for a hillside, pretty flowers in spring, etc.). I could write another entire article on this subject, so instead of writing an extensive list of plants, I would suggest that you do a Google search for “deer resistant Northwest native plants” and see what you find. And you will find a lot.
General categories of great plants to consider: ornamental grasses (love these–underused), mediterranean plants (lavender, rosemary, russian sage, etc.), deer-resistantant drought-tolerant perennials for flowering (echinacea, black-eyed susan, salvia, catmint, shasta daisy, etc.) and some shrubby natives (manzanita, deerbrush, potentilla, some viburnums, ninebark, rockrose, etc.).
It can seem overwhelming, but the little details really do matter when it comes to choosing the right plants. I hope this helps. Good luck!
Thank you very much for your informative reply. Now I know just how to start on my project!