......native

Yogis,
I looked up the definition for native. ‘An original or indigenous inhabitant.’ When applied to a plant the term native indicates it has been growing in a particular region for thousands of years. Plants that occur naturally in a habitat without human intervention. Because of this, they are well adapted to the light, soil and climate of their home. They require very little care.

You can’t help but hear the push for planting natives in your yard. When placed appropriately according to their likes and dislikes the droughts are tolerated using significantly less of our precious water whose access appears to be our looming crisis. Running a sprinkler daily to keep grass looking like a carpet is really no longer sustainable.

On the other hand, plants like cardinal flower are happy to have their feet wet as these more common torrential rains dump their buckets in mere minutes. Joe Pye’s weed, while it appreciates some sun, is also quite content to sit up against the north side of my house where it’s always in a shadow.

I heeded the call to go native and began shopping in the native sections of our local nurseries, which by the way are getting larger each year. Here I have found plants that settled in nicely to my steep dry rocky slope under pine trees. Alumroot was the first plant I found that could survive happily in the sandy soil along the driveway at the beach house……which btw gets absolutely no watering all summer since weekly renters are more concerned with hitting the beach than watering my plants (even though I ask nicely on a sign on the frig).

Natives, however, do a whole lot more than make our weekend to-do list shorter. My garden has a buzz of activity from bees, butterflies and hummingbirds. Needed shelter, food and habitat are all provided for native wildlife. A greater variety of birds come through. A symbiotic relationship with nature. And, by the way, natives are beautiful!

This year though, I am noticing another interesting effect. The more natives I plant, the more natives are showing up on the property. It’s as if I sent out an open invitation through my actions and intentions and unexpected guests are beginning to arrive.

I now have three hibiscus plants which are blooming beautifully and I am noticing they are beginning to multiply. Last year a boneset appeared in my medicinal garden and this year another has joined the plants I added on my rocky slope. Three batches of sensitive fern suddenly showed up, all in my moistest spots where most plants won’t grow. And northern spicebush is popping up through my wooded and shady areas which provide a nice splash of yellow in early spring and supply high energy berries.

Next time you take a walk through your area, instead of noticing your neighbors’ yards, look to your natural parks, woodlands, sides of roads and empty fields to see what is growing. These are truly your natives and if you begin to plant the intention of welcoming them, they might just show up.

Letting the garden be wild,
SARAH