Native Plants for Home Landscaping

Butterfly Weed

Residential landscaping can greatly improve a property or create a host of problems.

For homeowners, choosing plants for landscaping can be a daunting task.

In many cases, native plants can be good choices for home landscaping projects. Native plants often include trees, shrubs, herbs, wildflowers, grasses, and others.

Native plants have a number of advantages that make them good candidates for home landscaping projects.

Native plants usually require less maintenance than cultured plants. Most need little or no fertilizers, pesticides, or other chemical treatments.

Native plants provide habitat for insects, birds, and other wildlife. They are especially useful for pollinator gardens.

Some species produce berries and in fall their leaves display an array of colors.

Native plant species can be effective when implementing rain gardens. A variety of species can be planted together to stabilize areas where periodic water flows occur. 

When choosing native plants, several factors must be considered.

Sunlight is one of the most important factors to consider when choosing plants for a landscaping project.

Water is another consideration. In many areas, drought-resistance will be a major factor when choosing plants for landscaping.

Project costs are usually very important. Labor requirements can affect landscaping projects from start to finish.

Native plants can be found at local nurseries, farmers markets, and other sources. They are often available from local and regional non-government agencies such as environmental and conservation groups.

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