Natural landscaping, also called native gardening, is the use of plants, including trees,shrubs, groundcover, grass which are indigenous to the geographical area in which the garden is located, as well as rocks and boulders in place of groomed lawns and planned planting beds to blend residential or commercial property into the natural surroundings of the particular area.
I was at a Nursey yesterday looking to see what native plants will go in my front yard. Now I realize that this is now the time to buy native plants, because they are not available. To learn how to plan go to a Native Plant Project .
All I know, is my garden needs to be 1.) drought resistant,2.) waster-wise and 3.) low maintenance. To maximize that I need to use native plants exclusively.
I just gotta Tell Ya
- 25 percent of the 20,000 native plant species in North America are at risk of extinction.
- 737 native plant species are protected by the Endangered Species Act
- today landscaping accounts for approximately one-half of all residential water demand.
- California cities, towns and suburbs currently use about 9 million acre-feet of water each year. It is predicted that without serious conservation efforts the increase in water demand could rise l.2 million acre feet each year.
- If 43 water saving techniques were used, enough water could be saved to serve 2 million households
Benefits of Native Plants
- Adapt to our soils and climate
- Attract birds and butterflies
- Offer food and shelter for many species all year long
- Require less care and watering when established
- Thrive with less fertilizer and disease control
- Provide beauty and preserve our natural heritage
- Solve landscape problems that many non-natives can’t
- Make it easy to be successful in the home landscape
- Are rewarding for you and your landscape critters
- Benefit the educational programs of the National Wildlife Federation
- produce long root systems to hold soil in place
- protect water quality by controlling soil erosion and moderating floods and droughts
- help slow down the spread of fire by staying greener longer
Resources
- California Native Plant Society The California Native Plant Society (CNPS) is a non-profit organization dedicated to the understanding and appreciation of California’s native plants and how to conserve them and their natural habitats through education, science, advocacy, horticulture and land stewardship.
- Be Water-Wise- District of Southern California