New England Aster is a native sun-loving perennial.
Looking to create a more sustainable landscape that makes bees buzz and birds sing for joy?
Find your inspiration in our wild places, where native plants thrive without gardeners fussing over them.
“I’m definitely a fan,” says designer Jeff Bollinger of Hively Landscapes in Dover. “Our whole philosophy as landscape designers is that you always want to put the right plant in the right place. So it makes sense to put in plants that are native to this area.”
Jeff Inch of Inch’s Landscaping in York agrees.
“From a design standpoint, and also from a human standpoint, there’s a reason why natives are such good choices,” he says. “They’re adapted to our soils, our weather conditions, our insects and diseases. Their biological systems are built to withstand things here easier than some hybrids.”
Inch says that native plants can create a beneficial backyard environment for butterflies and mammals alike, providing needed food sources as well as habitat.
“When you’re actually putting back something in your environment that had been missing, it’s not only good for you; it’s good for everyone,” says Inch. “The bees can then have the pollen of native plants; the birds can eat the berries.”
Research First
When incorporating natives into your landscape, Inch suggests doing some research first.
“What you’re putting in the ground is going to last, so visit your library or go the the DNCR website to guide you in the right direction,” he says. “The web can be your best friend in figuring out what you want and what will work.”
The state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources’ site, www.dcnr.state.pa.us, offers photographs and suggestions of how to choose the best native plants for your garden conditions. There’s even a “Landscaping with Native Plants” brochure available as a download, as well as lists of wildflowers and trees best for differing soil conditions.
Bollinger disputes those who think native plants aren’t as showy as ornamentals bred for bling.
“Some plants might have screaming flowers for two to three weeks, but that’s it,” he says. “We go for year-round landscape, thinking about foliage and texture, not just fruiting color.”
Inch concurs. “With research, you’ll find there are so many types of natives that can help you create a garden with endless potential,” says Inch. “Natives can help you create a spectacular garden that is interesting for more than a couple weeks.”
Inch gives the example of planting a redbud instead of a flowering cherry tree, or an American linden rather than a Bradford pear.
“You get the same effect, the same structure, but the natives are more interesting all year,” he says.
Not a do-it-yourselfer? Inch says that any Pennsylvania certified landscape technician will be able to expertly advise your selections.
“I think the public is becoming more knowledgable about sustainable landscaping,” says Bollinger. “By planting natives that are well suited to the area, you can have less cultural problems, less insect and disease problems, less water control problems, and after the first season or two, you can plant it and forget it.”
Bollinger says what makes natives particularly sustainable is that they often have less watering requirements and require less use of chemical insect and disease controls.
It’s the notion that they belong here, so it doesn’t take too much work to make them at home in your landscape.
On the other hand, non-natives can become too much at home, taking advantage like houseguests who have overstayed their welcome.
“When you bring foreign plants into the environment, you can get problems with insects and disease that affect these plants differently than the native ones,” says Inch. “You can also create problems for the native plants already here if the foreign plants become invasive.”
Inch points to bamboo. “It’s a perfect example of an invasive plant. Once it’s established, it’s next to impossible to get rid of,” he says.
In choosing natives, there’s another, intrinsic benefit that should be noted, says Inch.
“There’s an emotional benefit from the standpoint of knowing that you’re putting something back into the ground that was there hundreds of years ago,” he says. “People don’t always say it, but they truly form special bonds with nature.”
Jeff Inch’s Favorite Native Plants
Trees: Forest Pansy Redbud (even after it blooms, the heart-shaped leaves are wonderful); River Birch (the different texture of the bark is great all season); Paperbark Maple (the head of the tree is tight and stern instead of frilly).
Shrubs: Inkberry Hollies (but keep them out of winds and don’t plant too close to your home); Possumhaw Viburnum (it makes a very dense natural hedge for screening); Mountain Laurel (it needs full shade and does best near large oaks, but from an emotional standpoint, a hillside of blooming mountain laurel just says Pennsylvania woods to me. The Carousel, Sarah, and Olympic Fire varieties are good).
Sun-Loving Perennials: Beebalm, New England Aster, Moss Phlox.
Shade-Loving Perennials: Jacob’s Ladder, Virginia bluebells, wild bleeding heart.
Jeff Bollinger’s Favorite Native Plants
Shrubs: Winterberry Holly (Ilex verticillata), multi-stemmed deciduous holly with brilliant red berries that often last through the winter.
Fothergilla (Fothergilla gerdenii), deciduous flowering shrub with bottlebush-shaped white flowers and blue-green foliage. Excellent yellow-orange-scarlet autumn color.
Oakleaf Hydrangea (Hydrangea quercifolia), coarse oak-like leaves that turn a magenta-red in autumn.
Small Trees: Downy Serviceberry, Juneberry (Amelanchier arborea), can be single- or multiple-stemmed, white flowers in early spring, colorful edible fruit in summer, colorful autumn leaves.
Corneliancherry Dogwood (Cornus mas), yellow flowers in very early spring, bright red edible fruit in summer.
Sweetbay Magnolia (Magnolia virginiana), graceful small specimen or patio tree, fragrant creamy-white flowers, bright red seeds.
Large Trees: River Birch (Betula nigra), often grown as a multiple-stem (clump) tree. Interesting exfoliating (peeling) cinnamon-brown to salmon colored bark.
American Holly (Ilex opaca), female tree produces red berries.
Scarlet Oak, resembles but is superior to Pin Oak. Scarlet autumn color.
Perennials: Swamp milkweed (Asclepias incarnata), one of the few plants that is a nectar source and host plant for the Monarch butterfly, which is on the pathway to becoming an endangered species.
Cardinal Flower (Lobelia cardinalis), brilliant red flowers that attract hummingbirds.
Christmas Fern (Polystichum acrostichoides), resembles Boston Fern, 2’ evergreen fronds.
Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea), rosy pink daisy-like flowers from July through September.
