By Debra Barber

I’ve been gardening and learning for 25 years.  At first, my focus was “plants I can get for cheap, plants I can eat, and flowers I can cut.”  Now my focus is on native plants. First step: removing the so-called butterfly bush (Buddleia davidii).  It attracted butterflies, but never hosted a single caterpillar. I replaced it with native plants that provide both nectar for adults and leaves for larvae. For gardens to be graced with butterflies and pollinators into the future, they must support insects’ entire life cycles, not just their eye-catching adult stage.

At this point in horticultural history, gardening with native plants is neither the norm, nor the cheapest approach.  Natives may be hard or expensive to acquire.  Still, I’ve found their benefits far outweigh their upfront costs.

Keeping invasives from spreading to natural areas. As a land manager for The Nature Conservancy, I know natural area managers work to fight invasive species in wild places.  I started at home by removing aggressive landscaping stalwarts like nandina, Japanese barberry and liriope, whose seeds birds carry to natural areas. 

Providing a wildlife haven.  I love watching catbirds enjoy my elderberries, and skippers on my blue mistflowers.  My garden provides shelter for birds, mammals and fascinating insects; nectar for pollinators; and foliage for caterpillars. Losses to chipmunks and rabbits are hardly noticeable. I cultivate an attitude of gratitude that my garden provides enough for everyone.

Avoiding chemicals that harm people, animals, and waterways. Native plants don’t need fertilizer or fancy soil. I live with some insect damage so there are no pesticides in my garden. There’s nothing scarier in my garage than loppers!

Saving money on fertilizers, pesticides, and mulch.  Plants adapted to local conditions fill in the space, making mulch unnecessary. In fall, I leave the leaves and stems to enrich soil and provide overwintering spots for eggs and cocoons. In the spring the garden will once again burst with life. 

Practical Tips for Using Native Plants

Start by controlling known invasives. Search “Virginia invasive plants” and start with those.  

Befriend the bugs. We’ve inherited attitudes: “bugs=dirty, annoying, and disease-bearing, except butterflies and honeybees.” But beautiful butterflies started life as creepy caterpillars, which eat leaves—mostly natives they’ve co-evolved with for millennia. Insects, the foundation of Earth’s ecosystem, pollinate food crops and nourish songbirds. Most insects won’t harm us and cause only cosmetic damage. Birds need insects, and insects need native plants: learning to accept some chomps is part of the native game.

Uninvite the herbivores. In Lyon Park we’re lucky to lack deer, but we have bunnies, chipmunks and voles. I deploy chicken wire cages to protect plants while they’re getting established. Once there’s enough for everyone I remove the exclosures, and the party’s back on. 

Choose the look you want. “Native plant garden” may evoke visions of an unkempt riot of green, but you can manage for a traditional look with non-traditional plants.  Techniques to keep a garden organized include: 

– The Chelsea Chop. Cut plants back by a third before blooming for shorter, bushier growth. 

– Mass plants so one species covers at least four square feet, rather than intermingling. 

– Place tall plants in the middle or back; shorter plants at the sidewalk.

Look into “lazy” gardening.  Light or delayed fall cleanup is a choice–difficult if you’re a tidy person–but better for wildlife. Letting flowers go to seed attracts birds, who don’t actually need bird feeders.  Leaving autumn leaves enriches soil and creates wintering sites for butterflies like the mourning cloak. Letting stems stand until spring retains nesting sites for native bees. 

We were raised to believe that “good” gardeners rule their gardens by raking, trimming and mulching promptly in the fall. It turns out that nature prefers some messiness.  As you balance neighbors’ expectations with habitat value at your unique site, know that there’s a nationwide community of wildlife-friendly gardeners who support you as you move your garden toward richness. 

Decide how native to go. The strictest form of native gardening sticks to species native to the county.  Next on the spectrum is plants native to the state and/or Piedmont ecoregion. Another consideration is “nativars”–cultivated varieties of natives selected for qualities benefiting human eyes over animal lives. Examples: double-flowered cultivars (which make nectar hard for pollinators to reach); sterile varieties (which don’t provide seeds for birds); and purple foliage (which discourages caterpillars). 

I haven’t given up my peonies, rosemary or fig tree–choices I’ve made as I balance my human desires with the needs of local wildlife.  Deciding where your garden lies along the native/exotic spectrum is your choice, and your approach may evolve as you grow. Overwhelmed beginners can feel confident that every native replacing a non-native improves a garden’s value for wildlife large and small. 

These native plants and many more will be available at the Dig-Your-Own sale on April 20: