Natural LandSCAPES
Natural landscaping, also called native gardening, is the use of native plants including trees, shrubs, groundcover, and grasses which are local to the geographic area of the garden. There are three main reasons to practice natural landscaping.
Use less water
Using water-saving techniques, including native plants, can save you money and diverts less water from our rivers, bays, and estuaries, which helps keep the environment healthy. It can also reduce water and wastewater treatment costs and the amount of energy used to treat, pump, and heat water.
Less overall maintenance
Native plants do not require fertilizers and require fewer pesticides than lawns. Native plants require less water than lawns and help prevent erosion. The deep root systems of many native costal plants increase the soil's capacity to store water. Since native plants require less maintenance, you spend less time working and more time enjoying.
Healthier for all living things
Native plant communities create habitat which is necessary for wildlife and essential to sustaining biodiversity and resilient landscapes. As the foundation of healthy functioning ecosystems, native plant communities buffer the impacts of extreme weather events such as severe flooding and prolonged drought.
Gardening with Natives
Plants and animals evolved together over thousands of years, so it is not surprising that there are many complex plant/animal relationships. This process of interdependent evolution of two or more species is called coevolution. Non-natives do not have this relationship with local wildlife.
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St. James Conservancy continues to collect data in support of creating a healthy landscape using native plants. Check out our growing list of resources related to native plants and transform your property into a more natural, healthy ecosystem. It's better for all living things and helps to offset what has been lost due to development. Our favorite gardening link: https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/
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Start with these great resources: