Landscaping With Native Plants
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The Pacific Northwest provides our region with a diverse palette
of native plants. Imagine if you will, bringing a bit of the coast,
temperate forest, mountain ranges, and dry inland basin to your
plants are gaining popularity as people discover their aesthetic
and environmental values. Such landscapes provide several benefits,
including lower maintenance, conservation of water, and creation
of wildlife habitat. As our urban and suburban environments continue
to displace native habitat, the restoration of native plants in
these areas provides crucial corridors for wildlife.
Few ornamental plants provide the elements necessary for wildlife:
food, water, cover, and places to raise young. Native plants,
on the other hand, have evolved a web of complex relationships
with pollinators and other local wildlife. As stated by Sara Stein
in Noah's Garden, "If wild rose blossoms are pink, single, and
bloom in June, if wild rose hips are red, small, and hang on the
canes all winter, then planting large-hipped ever blooming yellow
doubles is bound to sabotage someone's expectations." In addition,
by choosing native plant species over ornamental varieties, one
can achieve greater seasonal interest.
|A small outdoor pond provides food, water,
and cover for wildlife in Mike McKeag's yard
Native plants also are a good choice for low maintenance because
they have evolved with local climate conditions. For example,
native plants are adapted to local soil types, and therefore require
fewer fertilizers and soil amendments. They also require fewer
pesticides, having built up natural resistance to pests and diseases.
The use of native plants can also reduce irrigation requirements.
Native species have evolved with our summer droughts and heavy
winter rains. As a result, supplemental irrigation is only necessary
during the first growing seasons while plants get established.
In most cases, this can be accomplished with drip irrigation,
which is less intensive and costly than traditional systems, and
has the added benefit of conserving water.
|In this yard, a moss-covered stump, rescued
during clear-cut logging, serves as a nursery to young trees
It also makes economic sense to preserve the character of our
region by incorporating native plants into the landscape. Visitors
are to Oregon's beautiful landscapes. Tourism, for example, has
grown at a higher rate in Oregon than the national average over
the past 5 years. Visitors spent an estimated $4.5 billion in
Oregon last year.
Using native plant materials, however, has been challenging in
the past because of misconceptions. First, many people are unaware
of the origin of plant materials. With our favorable growing climate,
the nursery trade has made thousands of ornamental plant varieties
available, most of which are not native. Second, there was some
resistance to using native plants when only a handful of species
were available commercially.
Fortunately, more and more people are recognizing the value of
native plants species. The appearance of nurseries specializing
in native plants over the past 5 to 10 years has made numerous
species commonly available. In addition, some nurseries deal with
salvaged plant material, native plants that have been rescued
from development sites. Not only do these plants have all the
low maintenance and wildlife habitat benefits of other native
seed species, they also preserve native seed stocks and genetic
|Ocean spray, a native shrub, brings a bit
of the coast to this native bunch-grass landscape.
Whatever their source, these trees, shrubs, groundcovers, perennials,
ferns and grasses can be used in a variety of growing conditions.
Native plants like lupine, wild rose, and red flowering currant
do well on hot, sunny sites, Species like salal, evergreen huckleberry,
or indian plum are more suited in the shady understory. Riparian
(streamside) and wetland plants, such as Douglas spirea, red-twig
dogwood and slough sedge, work well in bioswales or areas with
As our region continues to grow, using native plants will be
critical to preserving quality of life in all of our built environments.
Native plants will provide much needed wildlife habitat in urban
and suburban areas while preserving the natural beauty of the
region. In addition, they will reduce our dependence on chemical
fertilizers and pesticides, require less maintenance, and use
what are you waiting for? Follow the inspiration of Mike
McKeag and chuck the lawn mower and pruning shears. Go wild!
We thank Kathleen Baughman of Gretchen Vadnais, Landscape Architects,
LLC, for donating this article, and native plant enthusiast Mike
McKeag of Aloha for the photos.