Why Natives?

Native plants are the foundation of local food webs. Insects, birds and other wildlife evolved alongside them, and many depend on them to survive. Choosing natives over ornamental non-natives turns a landscape from something that only looks good into something that also works.

Food and habitat

Native plants provide food and shelter for local insects, birds and other animals. Many insects can only feed on, or raise their young on, the native plants they evolved with, and those insects in turn feed songbirds and their nestlings. Manicured lawns and ornamental plantings can be attractive, but they offer little of this. Non-native ornamentals break links in the food web, and some escape into natural areas, where they crowd out native species and degrade the habitat that remains.

Less upkeep once established

Once established, natives suited to their site generally need less watering and maintenance than lawn or ornamental plantings, and they don’t need fertilizer. A native planting still needs weed control while it establishes, but over time it saves time and money while reducing the chemical inputs a landscape needs.

Healthier soil and water

The deep roots of many native grasses and wildflowers build soil structure and help it soak up and hold rainfall, which reduces runoff and helps recharge groundwater. Replacing lawn with native plantings also means less fertilizer and pesticide applied to the landscape, and less of it running off into streams and lakes.

Native and local-ecotype

Most of the plants we grow are propagated from seed we collect ourselves, which means they’re not only native but local-ecotype. That local adaptation helps plants establish and persist, and it keeps the genetic character of regional plant populations intact.