Marilyn Stewart of Wild Things Nursery and her Native Plant and Butterflies
If you have been contemplating helping nature by
putting more native plants in your garden, you are not alone. Planting natives
is one part of a cultural shift toward living a greener lifestyle with a smaller
carbon footprint. Gardeners hope to leave the world a better place and are teaching
the next generation that planet earth is precious.
By the purest and purist’s definition, native plants
grew here before the European settlers arrived. In contrast, plants brought into
the area from other places and hybrid plants are non-natives. Naturalized
plants are those that were brought into the region as non-natives but they
escaped the cultivated area and thrive as weeds.
Wherever they originated, natives are often low-maintenance
plants that grow well without much assistance after they become established.
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Stewart said their mission is to produce plants that
are beneficial to wildlife with an emphasis on plants that support butterflies,
moths and other pollinators.
A long-time native plant enthusiast, Marilyn Stewart
said, “I hesitate to tell people that native plants are no-care plants because
they think they can just stick them in the ground and they will thrive. It is
not that simple.”
She said native and naturalized plants will thrive
if they are placed in the correct location with the conditions they need. For
example, an OK native cactus will die in wet clay soil.
One of the benefits of using native plants is attracting
wildlife such as songbirds that only nest where they can find insects to feed their
young.
Generally speaking, plants that have evolved and
adapted to the climate, moisture and geography of an area will be lower
maintenance, require less water, demand little or no fertilizer and are rarely
attacked by insect and disease problems.
An exception is Crapemyrtle shrubs originally from
China. They do well here but Stewart said that not one species of OK wildlife
can utilize the plant for raising their young.
Since we live a state with more climate and weather
variations than any other state, gardeners can widen their plant search into
neighboring states such as TX, AR, MO, and KS.
Gardens need specific as well as general pollinators
so flowers, herbs, fruits and vegetables will produce food and seed. For example, native ground-nesting bees
pollinate blueberries and strawberries and squash bees pollinate squash; they
need undisturbed ground and 3 seasons of pollen in to thrive. Native plants do
the best job of providing pollen because they have the most usable nectar.
So, what are some plants and practices that can take
your garden to the next step of being welcoming to wildlife and contributing to
the overall health of the earth?
The first step is to reduce harm by eliminating
pesticide use. Next, implement a few ecosystem-friendly practices including: mow
less often, allow a part of the yard to grow wild, change to a no-till
vegetable garden, leave a few dead tree limbs on the ground, and plant a wide
range of flowering native plants with different bloom times to ensure a three-season
food supply.
When starting to add native plants, think in terms
diverse plant communities. Native plants
for OK landscapes include cacti, ferns, annuals, perennials, grasses, shrubs,
trees and vines. The complete list is at http://1.usa.gov/10fRIHD
and there are photos at www.oknativeplants.org.
Stewart is an excellent resource for information
about native plants as well as butterflies and other pollinator insects.
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