Category: Native Plants

The Importance of Native Plants in Local Ecosystems

Native plants are more than just beautiful and familiar sights in our local parks and gardens. They play a crucial role in the health of local ecosystems, providing numerous benefits to wildlife and the environment. In this blog post, we will explore why native plants are essential, how they support local wildlife, and practical tips for incorporating them into your home landscape.

What are Native Plants?

Benefits of Native Plants

Native plants offer a range of benefits for the environment and our communities. Here are some key advantages:

1. Supporting Local Wildlife

One of the most significant benefits of native plants is their ability to provide habitat and food for local wildlife. Many species of birds, insects, and mammals rely on native plants for sustenance. For example:

• Birds: Native berry-producing plants, like the Pacific blackberry, provide crucial food sources for birds during breeding seasons.
• Pollinators: Native flowering plants attract essential pollinators, such as bees and butterflies, which are vital for the reproduction of many plant species.

High angle view of a diverse native plant garden showcasing the variety of plants that support local wildlife.

2. Promoting Biodiversity

Incorporating native plants into landscapes promotes biodiversity, which is vital for a healthy ecosystem. Biodiversity helps ecosystems remain resilient to diseases, pests, and environmental changes. When native species thrive, they support a more diverse community of organisms, contributing to the overall health of the ecosystem.

3. Enhancing Soil Health

Native plants are adapted to local soil conditions and can contribute to soil health. Their root systems help prevent erosion, increase water infiltration, and maintain soil structure. This is essential for promoting healthy landscapes and reducing the need for chemical fertilizers and pesticides.

4. Water Conservation

Native plants often require less water than non-native, ornamental plants. They are adapted to local rainfall patterns, which means they thrive with minimal irrigation. This makes them an excellent choice for sustainable gardening, particularly in areas prone to drought. Additionally, by using native plants in landscaping, individuals can contribute to water conservation efforts.

5. Reducing Maintenance

Native plants generally require less maintenance than non-native species. They are adapted to local conditions and pests, which means they typically require fewer interventions such as watering, fertilizing, and pest control. This not only saves time and effort but also reduces the environmental impact associated with maintaining non-native gardens.

How to Incorporate Native Plants into Your Landscape

2. Design a Native Plant Garden

When designing your garden, consider the following:

• Diversity: Plant a variety of species to create layers of habitat for different animals.
• Sunlight and Shade: Group plants according to their sunlight requirements.
• Watering Needs: Group plants with similar water needs to create efficient watering zones.

3. Use Native Plants in Landscaping Projects

When planning landscaping projects, such as installing a new garden bed or renovating a yard, consider using native plants. Not only will this support local wildlife, but it can also enhance your property's visuals and appeal.

4. Educate Others

Share your knowledge about the importance of native plants and their role in local ecosystems. Engage friends, family, and neighbors in conversations about sustainability and encourage them to consider native plants in their own gardening practices.

The Role of Native Plants in Climate Resilience

As climate change continues to affect ecosystems across the globe, native plants play a crucial role in promoting climate resilience. Their adaptability to local conditions means they can respond more effectively to climate variations. This resilience is essential for maintaining the ecological balance in local environments.

Furthermore, planting native species can mitigate the impacts of climate change, such as flooding and heatwaves. They can enhance soil health and water retention, which helps buffer communities against extreme weather events.

Final Thoughts

Embracing native plants in our landscapes is more than a trend; it is a vital step towards fostering healthy, sustainable ecosystems. These plants support local wildlife, improve biodiversity, and enhance the overall health of our environment.

Flowering vines make a great addition to your Pacific Northwest garden. They create interesting vertical space,; attract hummingbirds, butterflies, and other pollinators; and they work well as a garden privacy screens.

When choosing vines, you can't go wrong considering one of our lovely natives. Native vines offer a number of benefits. They are well adapted to local soil, water, and weather conditions.

Try any of the following and you be happy with the results.

Clematis Vines

• Wisley Cream (shown above), Clematis cirrhosa, has a creamy bell-shaped bloom from November through February. As temperatures cool, the glossy green leaves become a dappled bronze.
• Avalanche (Clematis x cartmanii) gives a bundle of white blooms in early spring with attractive lime centers. The foliage on this clematis is almost lace like.

Other Pacific Northwest Native Vines

• Orange honeysuckle (Lonicera ciliosa): Also called western honeysuckle, this vine produces red/orange flowers from May through July. Try growing If you want to attract hummingbirds.
• Woodbine (Parthenocissus vitacea): good for a variety of soils and sun exposure. It blooms in a variety of hues from May to July.
• Whitebark raspberry (Rubus leucodermis): has white or pink blooms in April and May. It is thorny like a raspberry bush and makes not only a privacy barrier but a security device. 

Black Chokeberry is one of my favorite backyard native plants. Shrubs grow 3-4 feet high and wide. They may sucker somewhat. In May, bushes are covered with lovely white flowers. The fall foliage is spectacular in shades of purple and red (especially the cultivar ‘Autumn Magic’). Plant in sun to part shade. This shrub is very adaptable to different soil types. My shrubs are planted in clay soil that gets soggy during the seasonal rains. These are wonderful three-season, low-maintenance, wildlife-friendly, inexpensive and easily-propagated shrubs.

Chokeberries are among the “super-berries” that have extremely high antioxidant properties. They are also full of Vitamin C. They are a bit tart but are great mixed with sweeter fruit. Use the berries to make black chokeberry jam, juice, tea, muffins, smoothies, cookies, or even wine.

Birds, especially robins, will thank you for planting these shrubs. You can often see mobs of robins gorging on the fruit in October.

So go ahead and try a black chokecherry.

Symphyotrichum hallii

(also listed as Aster hallii)

Hall's Aster (Symphyotrichum hallii) is a summer blooming native perennial.

From mid to late summer, this 3-4 ft tall plant is covered with 1" flowers ranging from white to very pale lavender.

Hall's Aster is a major pollinator resource, providing pollen and nectar for all sorts of bees and butterflies from summer into fall. Full sun, and drought tolerant.

Serviceberry (Amelanchier alnifolia) is a popular PNW native shrub. It provides a beautiful display of white flower clusters in the spring, gives tasty berries in the summer, and then breaks out in gorgeou fall color.

It's easy to grown. It can be a focal point plant, giving wonderful 4 season displays, but will also fit nicely into a shrub border or hedgerow. The berries attract many types of birds and the flowers give nectar for butterflies.

Plant serviceberry in an open, sunny or partially sunny location with a healthy dose of compost and supplemental summer water for the first year or two. Serviceberries are slow to moderate growers, but once established are trouble free and quite drought-tolerant.

You can let the birds eat the berries or harvest them for making pies, jams and jellies. The berries can be dried and used like raisins.

Plants of the Pacific Northwest Coast: Washington, Oregon, British Columbia & Alaska, Jim Pojar, A. MacKinnon, and Paul B. Alaback, Lone Pine Pub, 2004, 528 pgs. ISBN-13: 9781551055305

This book was recommended by a number of my plant friends when I first arrived in Oregon. I needed some help to identify plants on my property and this book was just the thing. It comes in hardback, but I prefer the paperback version which is very durable and easy to take with me on hikes and travels.

The pictures in this book are very useful and include both flowers and foliage which helps with identification during the non-blooming periods. The book focuses on herbaceous flowering plants, but there are sections for trees, shrubs, ferns, and aquatics plants. Now that I'm rehabilitating a pond on my property, the aquatics section has been very handy. The book includes a notes section with information about historical uses or interesting lore about the species.

Review by Ann Geyer

When I first moved to Oregon and encountered the diminutive but fiery vine maple (acer circinatum) I was immediately enchanted.

Vine maples really shine in a coastal garden. They are uniquely adapted to our mild temperate climate with the result that it takes only a minimum fall in temperature to extract the dazzling display of red, gold, and yellow color.

Once the leaves have dropped, the vine maple continues to provide a winter focal point offering lovely variegated grey and white bark. This is especially striking with trees that have been pruned to showcase multi-trunked structure, somewhat like a crape myrtle. Allow the top of the tree to grown into a spreading leafy canopy. Keep the canopy thinned to allow wind passage and light to reach the interior.

Vine maples have a streamlined profile so can be place closed to structures or paths. Placing bulbs, small shrubs, or groundcovers under the vine maple makes a nice plant grouping. The maple will provide partial to full shade to all those wonderful shade loving natives. Try a vine maple anchored planting by a stream, water chase, or drainage area.

Maintenance is simple. Give the tree some shelter from direct ocean wind. Planting the tree on the inland side of a house or structure is just the ticket. As a native, the vine maple does not require fertilizer, but will benefit from topdressing of compost annually. The tree will appreciate a weekly long-slow watering during the dry months but will probably endure without it. Prune to shape the tree into your desired shape.

LCMGA always has a number of vine maples available during our annual spring plant sale.

"The extraordinary photos are beautiful and help to identify the nearly 400 common wildflowers in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, British Columbia, W Montana, Wyoming and Alberta."

This guidebook has helped me identify plants from the Oregon Coast to Montana. There is a precise description of each flower's habit, range, and key characteristics. The 10 pages of "Visual Guide to Families and Genera" has been especially helpful for identification. It's a great addition to your personal reference library.

Wayside Wildflowers of the PNW

Dee Strickler, Flower Press, 1993, 272 pages.