Using Native Plants in Your Garden
When a plant is native to a certain area, it means that’s where the plant tends to thrive. It likes the amount of rainfall, the average temperature, and the content of the soil in that particular location. It even interacts well with the other local flora and fauna. In other words, when you have local plants in your garden, nature remains in balance….and you might even give your green thumb a bit of a boost.
On the other side of the coin, plants that are not native do not necessarily like the natural conditions of your garden. When this happens, you need to manufacture those conditions, perhaps by watering the plants more than others, adding fertilizers, and using pesticides. This can hurt the local ecosystem and throw nature out of balance. Not to mention, it’s a lot more work to keep them alive.
So, stay in rhythm with your environment by sticking to Indiana Natives, like:
- American Bellflower
- Crossvine
- Indian Pink
- Ostrich Fern Smooth
- Hydrangea
Click here for more info on Indiana-native plants.