Native plants are having their moment. You may have come across an article, a book or a website recently on native plants highlighting their benefits and why you should plant them in your garden. In fact, you may have come across something about native plants and their benefits on this blog. We’re glad everyone else is talking about them now too, including our CBC: The case for growing native plants in your pots and gardens. 

What are “native plants”? 

Just so we’re all on the same page, an native plant is a species that has occurred in an area naturally since the beginning of time. Native plants naturally become part of the local ecosystem without human intervention. 

Benefits

The benefits are extensive, including water retention, food and water for native species, and more. But importantly, native plants support biodiversity. 

Biodiversity above ground

One of the greatest benefits of native plants is that they attract native insects. Biodiversity in our world is declining and native plants attract native insects. Native insects are an important part of biodiversity and provide essential ecosystem services. Without native insects, invasive species can overtake our ecosystems, possibly doing irreparable damage. Native insects are also native plant pollinators and play a significant role in pollination and food production. 

Biodiversity below ground

When the number of species above ground increases the number of species below ground also increases. Below ground biodiversity is just as important as above ground biodiversity. The below ground species help to absorb heavy rains, keep the soil maintained and aerated for plants, make nutrients available for plants, and keep the basis of an ecosystem in good health. Like plants, below ground species also attract more above ground insects, fueling a positive biodiversity feedback loop. 

Pest control

There are many native plant species that deter pesky mosquitoes,  including purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea) (pictured left) which is native to much of North America. Increasing plant diversity increases insect diversity, including pest eating insects. Attracting a myriad of insects to your garden may result in your own pest control methods. 

Incorporating native plants

Pollinator gardens have replaced butterfly gardens in popular media. Regardless of what you want to call it, any garden can be a pollinator garden. Many vegetable plants attract pollinators just like flowering plants do, and interspersing them throughout the garden can offer greater benefits. Ornamental flowers may offer a scent or colour that attracts pollinators to the area, but with a buffet of food from different types of plants, who wants to leave? Instead of gearing up to install a “native plant garden”, try incorporating native species into any garden and observe the change over the summer. Containers can also be used for native plants, on a balcony, a patio, or doorstep. 

Getting started 

There is a wealth of information available on native plants and it can get quite overwhelming. When doing your research, choose reputable sources or those knowledgeable of your specific ecoregion. The North American Native Plant Society (NANPS) has a wealth of information on their website - nanps.org that is relevant to all ecoregions of North America. Provincial or regional groups can also help. Many books on native plants have been published in recent years, and most local libraries will only have books relevant to the ecoregion. Gaia College’s course Ecological Plant Knowledge 1 - Natives will teach you how to identify native plants in your ecoregion, and how these plants thrive in communities. Learn more: Ecological Plant Knowledge 1 - Native