What do Japanese spirea, burning bush, boxwood, and forthysia all have in common? They are all non-native common garden plants that can be invasive and do not support native pollinators. Growing native plants helps foster biodiversity, feed bees, and other pollinators. Many of our northeastern native shrubs are fantastic substitutes for commonly used exotics.
Landscape clients and home gardeners are increasingly interested in native plants, but are all native plants equally beneficial in the landscape? “Local ecotype” native plants, those cultivated in environmental conditions similar to their local source, offer certain advantages. What is your interest in local ecotype plants?
by Kate Hartnett, Mary Tebo, and Marilyn Wyzga
This article first appeared in the Winter 2009 issue of The Ecological Landscaper, the newsletter of the Ecological Landscape Alliance.
The following excerpt is reprinted with the author’s permission from The Holistic Orchard, Chelsea Green Publishing (January 10, 2012). by Michael Phillips Permaculture people speak of two classes of plants…
by Erik van Lennep Amongst the survival concerns now facing our planet and people, the destruction of biodiversity has become prominent, and this issue lands squarely in the middle of…
