Virginia Strawberry

Golden Alexanders

Blue False Indigo

Common Milkweed

Culver's Root

Oxeye Sunflower

Joe Pye Weed

Great Blue Lobelia

Asters

These beautiful blooms are perfectly complemented by four types of native grasses

St. John's Goes Native

By Penny Morrill

Why celebrate native plants? They are a fragrant and tasty invitation into our gardens for birds, butterflies, moths, non-stinging bees, and animals. Natives are at the center of the living landscape. Over thousands of years, they have formed complex and interdependent relationships with native creatures, providing them with food and shelter. Most of the food we eat depends on pollinators.

LOVE YOUR NATIVE PLANTS — LOVE YOUR DIRT!

Each region enjoys unique seasonal changes — flowers in the Spring, sunny summers, color in the fall, snow-covered landscapes. Natives in each region have adapted so well to these changes that they do not require fertilizer or pesticides, which can pollute our rivers and our soil. In healthy soil, native plants above the ground are partners to the microorganisms under the ground in trapping carbon and cleaning the air we breathe.

WATER IS VITAL!

The root system of natives reduces runoff during heavy rains, filters water, protects wetlands, and sequesters carbon. These are gifts we receive when we plant natives, and so do the fish in rivers and streams.

KEEPING IT NATIVE!

We can reduce the problem of invasive plants when we plant natives. Invasives have been introduced from around the world and can expand beyond our gardens and into the wild. Invasives smother trees and disrupt native plant communities, creating a “green desert” for insects and birds.

We probably already have native plants in our gardens. To find out, check the lists of natives (and invasives) on the website, Virginia Department of Conservation and Resources. Read Doug Talamy’s important book on the subject, Nature’s Best Hope: A New Approach to Conservation that Starts in Your Yard.

CELEBRATE NATIVES!

Plant Native Plants in your garden! When we plant natives, we can delight in the colors of the seasons in the garden. We can create a healthy environment for birds and butterflies, and we can ensure biodiversity and sustain whole ecosystems — all in our own backyard!