Why should I consider Native plants when planning my spring garden?
Native plants are plants naturally found in your local region, while non-native plants have been brought in for edible, ornamental or some other use. Native plants evolved or adapted to our local environment for thousands of years, and are an important part of our local habitats, ecosystems and ecosystem services. They are the most sustainable plants for our specific area.
Native plants provide wildlife with food, shelter, cover, nesting material and nesting sites. Native plants are beneficial to soil because their deep root systems help improve soil structure, increase water infiltration, prevent erosion, and naturally support a diverse microbial life, all while adapting well to the local climate and soil conditions, often requiring less water and fertilizer than non-native plants. Since they are well-suited to the local climate and soil conditions, they actually make gardening maintenance easier.
Cultivars of native plants are not considered ‘native’ nor are they as beneficial to the ecosystem as the natives. Native cultivars are usually plants that have been altered by some attribute such as flower or leaf color, shorter/taller height or flower shape to make them seem more desirable to the gardener or landscaper. Cultivars may benefit humans by producing a desired effect in the garden, but are not as beneficial to local insects, birds or wildlife. While native plants are the ideal food for bugs, birds, and animals, many cultivars do not provide the same nutritional value.
Why Native Plants Matter
Restoring native plant habitat is vital to preserving biodiversity. By creating a native plant garden, we take part in the effort to nurture and sustain the living landscape for birds and other animals. A recent article in “Horticulture” magazine (Jan/Feb 2025) outlined research by the entomologist Dr. Doug Tallamy, who identified which plants are ‘keystone’ plants to various areas. Keystone plants are native plants that support a variety of insects and birds in a particular ecosystem. For example, he has shown that native oak trees support over 500 species of caterpillars whereas the ginkgo tree, a landscape tree from Asia, support only 5 species of caterpillars. Since it takes over 6,000 caterpillars to raise one brood of chickadees, that is a significant and important difference. Dr. Tallamy goes on to say that keystone/native plants are critical to the food web of a specific ecosystem. (reference article’ Kings of the Northern Forests’ -Horticulture magazine Jan/Feb 2025)
A keystone plant is a type of native plant that's especially important to the food web and the survival of many wildlife species. Keystone plants in upstate New York include the highbush blueberry, which is an excellent food source for birds, caterpillars, and 14 species of pollinator bees and the Black-eyed Susan, a native wildflower that provides nectar for butterflies and bees, and seeds for birds. You can use the National Wildlife Federation's Native Plant Finder to find other keystone plants in your area.
Landscaping choices have meaningful effects on the populations of birds and the insects they need to survive. Gardeners and landscapers can benefit birds and other wildlife by simply selecting native plants when making their landscaping decisions. You can assess Audubon's Native plant database https://www.audubon.org/native-plants designed to help you select bird-friendly native plants based on your zip code.
While you certainly don’t need to limit all your gardening selections to ‘natives’, please consider this when you are planning for your spring garden. The birds and wildlife will be appreciative, and you will find that your gardening tasks are made easier.
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