How To Decide What Native Plants To Add To Your Landscape

While you can throw a dart at a native plant list and plant whatever plant the dart lands on, provided it lands on the list at all, there may be a better way.  Being native varieties, most plants on a native plant list will be hardy and require little care, so that makes one consideration easy.  One of the next things you might want to do when considering the addition of a native plant is to ask yourself "what I am trying to achieve"?  Do I want to add color?  Am I seeking a plant that will add winter interest?  Am I looking for something that will produce food such as nuts, berries or other fruit?  Do I want something fragrant?  Do I want a plant that will spread or one that is easily controlled?  Perhaps you are hoping to attract bees, butterflies, hummingbirds, or other wildlife such as deer? Maybe you are looking for a plant that that dog gone deer will not readily consume.  The height requirement and growing speed are also factors to take into consideration.  The decision as to whether to plant a tree, shrub or individual perennial plants is an important one.  Shrubs can create a nice backdrop, but they can also block out things in your landscape that you find attractive as they grow and fill in. Trees have a wide and deep root system that can harm foundations or septic systems if planted too nearby. It is important to know how tall as well as how wide a shrub or a tree will become in the long term, not only so as to keep these plants from preventing moisture build-up on any architectural elements on your property but also taking into consideration how they will appear years after you plant them. Shrubs and trees can be difficult to remove if you decide you are not pleased with their appearance years later.

Next consider the microclimate of the location where you will be planting.  Is there sun, shade or a mix of both as the day progresses.  It is a wet area or a dry one. Is the soil rich and loamy or more of a sandy composition.  Is it a wooded location or on the edge of the woodland.  Perhaps your location is in more of an open field. All of these things are considerations to keep in mind when choosing plants for your landscape.