Learn about three benefits of using native plants in your garden.
There are many benefits to growing native plants in your garden, but you may be wondering how much of a difference they can really make. Native plants can actually make a significant difference to your landscape as they are not invasive, easier to grow, less expensive to maintain, and more! Continue reading to learn more about a few benefits of using native plants in your landscape.
What Are Native Plants?
First, it’s important to know exactly what native plants are and how they are different from other plants. There are a few descriptions of “native plant,” but the science-based definition states that they occur naturally in their ecoregion and habitat where, over the course of evolutionary time, they have adapted to physical conditions and co-evolved with the other species in the system. Native plants in Maryland include Sensitive Fern, Blue Sedge, Butterfly Weed, Turk’s Cap Lily, Rose Mallow, and many more.
Biodiversity
There are many compelling reasons to plant natives in your garden, including that they help preserve biodiversity. Biodiversity refers to the number and variety of living things in a specific region. The native wildlife, including animals and pollinators, evolved with the native plants, and many can only feed on plants that they co-evolved with. If native plants die off, it will have a very negative effect, as there will be no insects to pollinate crops, resulting in humans needing to perform the task instead.
Not Invasive
Native plants are also not invasive. An invasive plant is defined as both non-native to the ecosystem and able to establish on many sites, grow quickly, and whose introduction will likely cause economic or environmental harm. Some exotic plants, for example, have become invasive, as they aggressively spread into natural areas and threaten native plants. By planting native plants in your garden you are reducing the risk of introducing an invasive plant to the area.
Less Inputs Needed To Maintain
Since native plants are well adapted to the climate and soil they are generally easier to grow and less expensive to maintain. Most native plants don’t need much pruning, watering, or fertilizing, as long as they reside in an area that provides the ideal soil type, water amount, sun, and shade. On the other hand, exotic plants typically demand high levels of fossil fuel use, pesticides, and supplemental water to grow, making them much more expensive and time-consuming to maintain.
Scientific Plant Service Is Your Go-To Source In Landscape Healthcare
Scientific Plant Service, located in Baltimore, is a privately-owned corporation, chartered in Maryland in 1957 by Frank J. Burke. We started as a full-service Arborist specializing in the care of shade trees and ornamental shrubs, but today we are a lawn and total landscape care company that is a huge part of the community. From aquatic environments and snow management to deer and mole control, SPS has services tailored specifically for your lawn and landscape.
We offer services in Maryland, Washington DC, and Virginia, including Harford, Baltimore, Carroll, Frederick, Howard, Anne Arundel, Montgomery, Prince Georges, Talbot, Queen Anne’s, and Calvert counties in MD, as well as Loudoun County, Fairfax County, Arlington, Alexandria, and Falls Church in VA. For more information, contact us online, or call us at 410-321-0970. Be sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Pinterest!