In the broadest sense, every plant is a native plant. That is, it co-evolved somewhere with other plant species, animals, fungi, and microbes to form a complex network of relationships. Native plants are the foundation of native ecosystems, or natural communities.
Over time, a lot of plant species undertook a journey out of those communities and into other communities. It’s something you may not often think about as a gardener – even if you end up dealing directly with the consequences of such an 'assisted migration'.
So what do we mean when we talk about a 'native' plant? In the strictest sense, it means a plant species that evolved in a particular ecozone. Let’s, as an example, take ferns. If you live in the Lower Mainland, native can mean western sword fern (Polystichum munitum), lady fern (Athyrium filix-femina), and licorice fern (Polypodium glycyrrhiza). If you live in the Okanagan, it can mean ostrich fern (Matteucia struthiopteris), Oregon woodsia (Woodsia oregana), and rattlesnake fern (Botrychium virginianum).
What does this mean to you as a gardener? Well, it means that the climate and soil requirements in the place where you live tend to support those native species, i.e. those species that co-evolved with other plants, animals, fungi, and microbes in our corner of the planet. It doesn’t mean that species that evolved outside our area won’t grow here – but you might have to make some adjustments for them to grow, and possibly, flourish.
To my mind, there are all kinds of good reasons to incorporate native plant species into our yards and gardens.
Here are my top five:
1. Native plants can be gorgeous
From trees to shrubs, from wildflowers to ferns, BC is home to many jaw-dropping plant species. Personally, I’m wowed by Pacific dogwood (Cornus nuttallii), Nootka rose (Rosa nutkana), Douglas’ aster (Symphyotrichum subspicatum), false lily of the valley (Maianthemum dilatatum), and maidenhair fern (Adiantum aleuticum). Actually, I’m wowed by many more species than that, but this article can only be so long.
2. Native plants can attract beneficial insects
There are numerous species of native butterflies – e.g. western tiger swallowtail, Lorquin’s admiral, painted lady – that use native plants for food, shelter, or as places to lay their eggs. Butterflies may use various flowers for nectar, but for egg-laying and larval food, natives are where it’s at.
3. Native plants can attract birds
Some shrubs and wildflowers – e.g. salmonberry (Rubus spectabilis), red-flowering currant (Ribes sanguineum), Sitka columbine (Aquilegia formosa) – attract hummingbirds. Other plants and shrubs provide fruits for birds to eat, branches for them to nest in, and foliage for them to hide from predators within.
4. Native plants can be lower-maintenance
Because native plants have evolved in our local conditions, they can better tolerate our climate (cool, wet winters, and warm, sometimes dry summers). They’ve also developed resistance to a wider range of insects, blights, and other diseases and pests that can often be the bane of gardening.
5. Native plants are part of our natural heritage
Before we built our communities, native plants had their communities. It seems only fitting that we share our home with the species that made these places so special to begin with.
There are more than 3,000 species of native plants in our province. Not all of them may be suitable to gardening. Not all of them may be available at your local nursery or seed source. But you might be surprised by what’s out there. And who knows? You might just find yourself going native.
Dawn Hanna
President of the Native Plant Society of BC
For more info about the NPSBC go to: www.npsbc.org
