Native plants are preferred because they are hardy, are perfectly adapted to the climate, low-maintenance, and provide important benefits for the local wildlife. As a landscape professional, your clients often rely on your expertise to help them choose the best native plants. You can find native plants at our plant nursery in Ulster County, NY, as you put the many pieces together in creating beautiful landscapes that your clients will love.
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The Right Natives Make a Difference
North America is a huge continent with a wide range of species unique to various regions. It’s important to choose plants native to the region, or to a very similar climate, to ensure that they thrive with a minimum of fuss.
Why choose native plants over non-natives? Aside from their natural beauty, natives are much more eco-friendly than their non-native counterparts, as natives often require significantly less maintenance (watering, fertilization, and pest management) than non-native species. Landscapes that use non-native plants must rely heavily on fertilizers, herbicides, and pesticides to keep them healthy. Unfortunately, every time it rains, these chemicals can end up leaching into the ground or running off into the local water supply. This is a huge source of pollutants that are detrimental to local plants, birds, and fish.
By contrast, landscaping with native plants reduces their impact on the environment as interventions such as fertilizers are minimal compared to other types of plantings. In fact, natives are typically the best choice for environmentally conscious homeowners. Over time, natives have evolved to the local soil and weather conditions and developed mutually beneficial relationships with native pollinators, and have developed resistance against local pest insects and diseases. Because they’re so perfectly adapted to the local climate and soil conditions, natives can help to reduce erosion, filter rainwater, and provide food and shelter for local wildlife.
If your clients are nature- and wildlife-lovers, native plants will attract more local wildlife than non-native plants. This also applies to bees, butterflies and other important pollinators. Native species are right at home in natural or formal gardens and landscapes.
Another benefit of a native landscape is that in today’s world, it’s refreshingly unique. People often plant what their neighbors plant, and if everyone is planting non-natives, a yard landscaped with native plants stands out in a beautiful way. For homeowners who want to make a statement, this could be a noticeable bonus. For those who want their landscape to be more like what the neighbors have, there are often native plants that look similar to the non-natives. You may also consider nativars as a viable alternative to a purely native landscape. Nativars are cultivated plants that originated as wild natives—while not native in the strictest sense, they are well suited to the local environment and expand your range of choices.
Making Choices at Our Plant Nursery
Which natives should you choose? As every project is different, there’s no one right answer. Each property has its own microclimate of soil conditions, shade, wind, water, and other variants that can differ drastically from one house to the neighbor’s house.
Begin with choosing plants that are just right for the client’s design aesthetic, and group natives by care requirements (i.e. shade/moisture needs).
Think three-dimensionally and in terms of layers when selecting plants: for example low, brightly flowering plants in the foreground, slightly taller and darker shrubs behind, and trees to provide a backdrop.
To determine which natives are best for a specific project, you can consult the American Horticultural Society and the North American Native Plant Society, or for in-person advice, our friendly plant nursery experts.
Related: OUR LANDSCAPE NURSERY RECOMMENDATIONS FOR YOUR NEXT PROJECT IN THE ULSTER COUNTY, NY, AREA
