Saturday, April 10, 2010

Going Native ~ part 2

There are distinct advantages to Going Native. (Again, What ARE you thinking???)


Native plants are more disease resistant, take less water, and are generally hardier. When choosing the Native Plants for your yard, take in to consideration not only what species is NATIVE to your area but also the MACRO and MICRO climatic zones in your yard.

  • Does your planting area face North? Or South? 
  • How much sun does it receive? And during what time of day does the sun shine there? Early morning sunshine has a different effect on a flower bed than sunshine at midday or evening.
  • Does the area receive a lot of wind? 
  • Does water stand there after a rain? 
  • Or is the bed located under a tree?

Once you have these zones identified, try to place plants needing similar conditions in these locations. Not only will your planting "look right" but the work involved in maintaining the flowerbed will be minimal.
So many things to take into consideration but, once again, the time you put into identifying these climatic zones will pay off in the end!  

5 comments:

magikalseasons said...

I love purple cone flowers! Such an easy native to grow! :)

Little Messy Missy said...

I think one of the best ways to go Native is to take a dry to a nearby park or mountain road. keep your eyes open and see what is growing there out in the open. (Just don't plant tumble weeds if you live in the west hahaha). I grow sage for smudging (among many many others),it is a beautiful easy plant to grow with the spiritual link to it. Also native wild grasses can be beautiful next to water features.

Jeanne said...

Great suggestion Missy!! Thanks!

Anonymous said...

I love cone flowers and hope to have some soon!

Yarni Gras! said...

we always go 'native' where ever we live and it is the BEST idea ever.
It is also easier to sell a home that is xera-scaped. People like the look of everything and LOVE the low maintenance.