Native plants benefit your landscape

So long as you don’t piss off your neighbors

Native plants are getting their time in the sun to shine and for good reason. There are more benefits to having them and often they are the less expensive alternative for your landscape because, well, the name says it all. 

Before we dig deeper into the reasons for the renewed interest in native plants, let’s first talk about its definition.

A native plant is any plant that can grow and reproduce in an area without cultivation by humans. So, we’re not talking about only plants that were available in that location since the dawn of time. Obviously, we don’t even know what that landscape looked like, let alone which plants we currently have that are still growing and thriving in that location. 

Instead of thinking about “native” as a way of strictly defining what can and cannot be considered “original” to the landscape, think of it more as plants that can thrive without the need for a landscaper. 

From left to right: Indian Blanket, Hydrangea, Black-eyed Susan

Now we’re getting to the root of our first benefit. 

Native plants are going to be much easier to grow because, frankly, they don’t need your help. That means you’re going to spend less money and time maintaining your home’s landscape if you use plants that are going to work with you, not against you. 

“99% of the lawns in America look pretty much the same,” said Ian Richardson, owner of Beaver’s Abundance Native Plant Nursery in Baton Rouge, La. “This is a design that came over from England and it symbolized wealth. And it stuck.”

The plants selected for the American lawn were not done so because people were working with what they had. Rather, the ideal landscape has a low amount of biodiversity and everything in it was placed there purposefully. Simply put, the lawn looks clean, manicured and rather bland. 

“But the problem with that type of lawn is mainly with the turf grass,” Richardson says. “They’re not very sustainable in many different ways.” 

The shallow root system of turf grass does not take in as much water, so that means more water goes into drainage systems. In south Louisiana, lawns that absorb water would be beneficial considering we get more water than almost any other place in the nation. 

“The root system of most native grasses and plants goes 8 to 12 feet in the ground, as opposed to the four inches of turf grass,” Richardson added. “It’s sucking up a lot of this excess water and it’s holding it underground.” 

Being able to take in and hold more water also means it’s drought tolerant. A native landscape will require less, if any, additional watering, which will save you money. There’s no need for irrigation systems, sprinklers, or the time it takes to get all that set up. 

Outside of your pocketbook, native plants are going to make your house a hotspot for beautiful birds and insects. 

A large bumble bee is grabbing the pollen from a pink Turk’s cap.

“Most bees and hummingbirds thrive on nectar,” Richardson explains. “There's two types of insects. You have generalists and you have specialists. A generalist, like a honey bee or a hummingbird, all they want is nectar. As long as they can get that nectar or honey, they're good. But most species, and especially the species that we see on decline that are going on the endangered species list, including the Monarch, are the specialist insects.”

This year the monarch butterfly was officially designated endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. One large reason for their decline is their migration is being disrupted by our bland lawns. 

“They're migrating right above our houses and they have nothing to eat,” Richardson says. “ You can't set aside any more national park land somewhere in the west, because that's not where these migrations are happening. They're happening here.” 

When you stack up the options, the benefits of native plants outweigh the costs. The major battle is convincing people to do something new. Or, in this case, go back to something really old. 

“It almost should be a job of a nursery to inform people about these plants and carry more native species,” Richardson says. “It's the homeowner's responsibility to repopulate what's been destroyed. So if we don't have at least the nurseries on board with pushing just some native species, then we're in big trouble.”

Ian Richardson sitting in his backyard nursery during one of his periodic sales.

But getting nurseries on board is more challenging than one would think. First off, they’ve got a business to run, and if it’s based in several locations, keeping up with inventory could be challenging. 

“These big nurseries, they just can't carry native plants,” Richardson explained. “They need general plants that do good in different zones. Native plants are native to specific areas, so what's native here may not be native in Texas or Mississippi. And so it would kind of be a nightmare for them to do that.” 

Additionally, many of the nurseries are purchasing plants from other locations, many of which are located in tropical regions like Florida. That’s why you see so many tropical varieties in big-box stores. 

“Also, native plants get eaten by wildlife,” he added. “So if you grow milkweed, those caterpillars might go to town on your inventory.” 

Getting people on board can also be a challenge, especially if it’s not their idea. Although you might have an understanding for what you’re trying to do with your yard, it might be as welcomed by a homeowners’ association, for example.

“When people don't understand what you're trying, maybe you're trying to grow a little like Prairie or a meadow, and they don't understand that that was intentional, they think that it wasn't intentional and that you're just letting your yard grow,” he said. “So it's really good to like put up little signs in your yard. Like, ‘This is a pollinator Prairie, ask me questions about it.’ And then that way, if they they can talk to you about it and maybe you can end up convincing them of all the benefits,, or maybe they'll see all the wildlife in your yard.”

I had a blast creating a little pollinator patch sign for my front area. I am attempting to grow native plants, but the old grass and less attractive weeds are being very stubborn. Until the trees get large and the native plants establish, it looks like a hot mess. But, it’s only temporary. 

If you want to talk to Ian more and check out his inventory of native plants, you can find him on Instagram or Facebook at Beaver’s Abundance. Or, give him a call at (225) 610-4220. The nursery is located at 1329 Carter Ave in Baton Rouge.