How You Can Transform Your Yard with Native Plants
Just imagine this scenario: you’re outside in your yard, dragging the hose across the lawn to try to convince that one single stubborn patch of grass to stay green instead of turning yellow/brown – and you’re losing that battle hard. You sigh and look over, realizing the deer has already nibbled at those impatiens you bought the other day, and now, they’re nothing more than sad little nubs.
With the amount of effort you’ve put into your yard, it really has no business looking just sorta kinda ‘half-decent’.
What if you gave up your exotic plants and planted things that wanted to live in the podzolic soils and dry Vancouver summers? This way, your yard could finally become that lively, buzzing habitat you’ve dreamt about, instead of a constant chore that it is now.
Why go for Native Plants
Having a yard is nice, but most of the time you think that only after it’s been completely trimmed and mowed.
But then, after there are a few rainy days followed by a bit of sun, you have to do all that again. Plus, on top of all that work, all those ornamental imports often end up struggling in local soils and requiring you to add extra fertilizer (or pest control) just for them to survive. Not ideal.
That’s why bringing native plants into the mix (or straight-up focusing on them 100%) is the way to go.
Why? Well, native Vancouver plants have adapted to the mild wet winters and dry summers in the coastal climate, meaning they very well handle acidic, podzolic soils and weather.
But to be more specific, here are three reasons why (a bit more into detail):
Native Plants Bring Life to Your Yard
If you go to the local garden, you’ll get to pick and choose from dozens of different VERY beautiful plants. But some of these, regardless of their beauty, will be a nightmare to keep alive and maintain.
Plus, they don’t really do much for the birds and bees that choose the area you live in in coastal British Columbia as their habitat.
Birds rely on native berries and seeds from plants such as salal, red-flower currant, and Pacific serviceberry to raise their young.
And your local (wild native) bees – including mason bees/bumblebees – are used to pollinate local plants. Well, that doesn’t mean they’ll forgo any other rewarding flowers if they can’t find anything else, but they’re used to the native flowers.
If you plant natives, you’re helping the local ecosystem in Metro Vancouver.
Native Plants Help You With Maintenance
Once native plants are established, they pretty much take care of themselves. They had centuries to adapt to the soil/climate they’re in.
Native plants have an innate advantage over all other plants because they’ve evolved to be resistant to local pests and diseases. This means you can forgo using fertilizers and pesticides.
Examples (PA): salal (Gaultheria shallon), sword fern (Plystichum munitum), kinnikinnick (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi), and red-flowering currant (Ribes sanguineum).
These two thrive with minimal effort, even through the very dry summers; this leaves you with less time spent on maintenance and more time spent enjoying your yard.
Native Plants are Resilient to ‘Your’ Climate
Climate varies greatly depending on the area you live in. Some areas have heavy and harsh winters, some have extreme summers. Some have both, and others neither.
Vancouver is prone to cool-season rainfall, summer drought, plus acidic podzolic soils. And the deep/fibrous roots of native plants help control erosion during heavy rains.
They also help in keeping the soil together with their roots during heavy rains. This keeps streams cleaner. Plus, these native plants have adapted to low soil nutrients and summer dryness.
If you compare Vancouver with an area that has a very different climate and soil type, such as Pennsylvania, where the summers are hot, but also very humid, and the winters can be very cold with frequent freeze-thaw, you see how native plants can again adapt regardless of what type of environment you throw at them. The soil in PA is clay and loam, and the native plant species (e.g., little bluestem, black-eyed Susan, purple coneflower, red osier dogwood) all have adapted to be tolerant of clay, heat, drought, humidity, thunderstorms, and even freezing conditions.
Regardless of region, native plants will retain structure even outside of peak bloom, which helps stabilize/support wildlife even in the off-season.
How to Design a ‘Native-like’ Landscape
First, look around your yard.
Notice where the sun beats down all day or where there’s constant shade to see if you’re working with a sunny meadow or a shady corner. Once you know the conditions, think ‘layers’.
If you’re looking at Vancouver, then start with small plants such as salal, sword fern, and kinnikinnick, which are all very tolerant and can look pretty beautiful. If you want to go over the top, then also add red-flowering currant for that extra spark.
If you’re in Pennsylvania, start with small trees like flowering dogwood or redbud to get height and structure, then add shrubs like Virginia sweetspire in areas that are damp. If you have dry shade, our bush honeysuckle is there for something midsized.
Then, add native flowers and grasses like coneflowers or black-eyes Susans for that ‘classic’ touch.
Remember that what you’re doing is for you to enjoy and ultimately make a yard where you can truly relax. It’s not a bad idea to add features to make your backyard enjoyable. A great addition to any yard (that’s big enough to place one) is a deck.
But always work with local contractors when building one. Why? Well, much like the difference in native plants, the deck needs to be resistant to weather, pests (termites), disease (rot, mold, etc.), and climate-related conditions, which have much to do with very hot or very cold temperatures and the way the materials handle themselves under such conditions.
If you’re in Vancouver, British Columbia, be sure to check for deck builders that operate in the Metro Vancouver Regional District (MVRD)
If you’re in Pennsylvania, you can hire a deck builder in King of Prussia, Allentown, Lancaster, Doylestown, Harrisburg… Anywhere close to where you’re building the deck.
And it’s really important to stick with someone both local and experienced because they’ll make sure the deck fits seamlessly with your landscape and use materials that look like they belong there.
Conclusion
Once you’ve planted all your native plants and mowed the yard, all you have to do is get a nice drink/beverage and sit down in your favorite chair (or on your deck) and enjoy. Look at the butterflies and bees flap and buzz around.
Relax.
Enjoy life!
