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Clean Waters is acollaboration of theConnecticut SeaGrant ExtensionProgram and theUniversity ofConnecticutCooperativeExtensionSystemÕs NEMOProject, educatingindividuals aboutthe impacts ofeveryday activitieson water qualityand simple tech-niques that helpprotect waterresources from thehome well to LongIsland Sound.

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When the first European colonistsarrived in what is now the United States, they

brought from their homelands many plants andlandscaping designs with which they were familiarand comfortable. Nearly three hundred and fiftyyears later, the American yard is still dominatedby expansive lawns, symmetrically placed andshaped trees and shrubs, and flower beds ofexotic plants typical of the English landscape tradition.

The native plants of North America have rarelybeen popular in American gardens. Early garden-ers preferred the clipped yew hedges and tidyflower beds of Europe to the wild and untamedtrees and flowers of nearby forests. However,native plants did have some supporters. Nearly acentury and a half ago, while living on the shoresof Walden Pond in eastern Massachusetts, HenryDavid Thoreau came to know the forest andmeadows, trees and herbs in all their seasonalmoods. His writings celebrated the beauty ofnative plants and the natural landscape. JensJensen, a landscape designer from the northernMidwest, strove in his work to recreate the “tapes-try of living colors” beheld by early pioneers in theregion. He loved the native dogwoods, crabap-ples and hawthorns of the Midwest. His designsfor public parks and private estates includedmany natural woodland landscapes utilizing nativeplants.

Despite such support, when an era of world-wide plant exploration blossomed in the late1800’s, exotic trees and shrubs from the far cor-ners of the earth became featured attractions inAmerican gardens and parks. In recent years,changes in taste and environmental awarenesshave led to some sharing of garden space bynative species and exotic favorites of years past,

Starting in Your Home and YardClean Waters

Going Native – Rethinking PlantSelection for the Home Landscape

but many of the most popular American landscap-ing plants still have their roots in distant countries.

WHAT ARE NATIVE PLANTS, NON-NATIVEPLANTS, AND WEEDS?

Native plants (also called indigenous plants) areplants that have evolved over hundreds or thou-sands of years in a particular region. They haveadapted to the geography, hydrology and climateof the region and to the other species of plants andanimals inhabiting the region. As a result, nativeplants are part of a community that provides habi-tat (food andshelter) for avariety ofnativewildlifespeciessuch assongbirdsand butter-flies. Nativeplants, whenused inhome land-scaping, provide the ecological benefits of support-ing local wildlife while requiring minimal mainte-nance due to their adaptation to local climate andsoil conditions.

Non-native plants (also called non-indigenous,invasive or exotic plants) are plants that have beenintroduced into an ecosystem in which they did notevolve. Some of these plants are introduced delib-erately, as with our many exotic landscaping plants.Others are introduced accidentally, through thespread of seed by wildlife or by their inadvertentinclusion in seed mixes being sent from one area

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of the world to another. Some of these introduced,non-native plant species do not grow well in theirnew environment or do not reproduce easily sothey are easily controlled and pose no threat to thenative ecosystem. Other introduced species findtheir new home much to their liking and reproduceprolifically, even in natural, minimally managed land-scapes. These aggressive, or invasive plants oftenhave no natural enemies or controls to limit theirspread. Invasive non-native plant species can be aserious threat to native plants and communities,out-competing local species for available sunlight,water and nutrients, and do not provide the wildlife

habitat benefits of the plants they replace.Weeds are plants that are growing in places

where they are not wanted. Both native and non-native plants can become weeds in a managedlandscape like a garden or agricultural field. Non-native species tend to become invasive weeds innatural landscapes due to the lack of natural controls.

HOW CAN USING NATIVE PLANTS HELP THE ENVIRONMENT?

Landscaping with native plants has many positivefactors that relate to conservation landscaping andto sustainable landscapes.

• Native plants save energy. Native plants haveevolved and adapted to local conditions. They arevigorous and hardy, able to survive winter cold andsummer heat. Once established, they require little orno irrigation or fertilization. They are resistant tolocal pests and diseases. Thus, native plants suit

today’s interest in “low-maintenance” gardening andlandscaping.

• Native plants stay put. Native species are mem-bers of a community that includes other plants, ani-mals and microorganisms. A natural balance keepseach species in check, allowing it to thrive in suit-able conditions but preventing it from running amok.Native species rarely become invasive unless a

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Landscaping with Native ShrubsTim Fleury, Coordinator Forestry Stewardship Program

SHRUBS FOR DRY, SUNNY AREASBayberry (Myrica pensylvanica)Lowbush Blueberry (Vaccinium

augustifolium)Ground Juniper (Juniperus

communis)Jersey Tea (Ceanothus

americanus)Sweet Fern (Comptonia peregrina)

SHRUBS FOR MOIST SITESDogwoods (Cornus spp.)Elderberry (Sambucus

canadensis)Highbush Blueberry (Vaccinium

corymbosum)Inkberry (Ilex glabra)Pussy Willow (Salix discolor)Shadbush Serviceberry(Amelanchier canadensis)Spirea (Spirea latifolia)Swamp azalea (Rhododendron

viscosum)Sweet Pepperbush (Clethra

alnifolia)Viburnums (Viburnum spp.)Winterberry (Ilex verticillata)Witch Hazel (Hamamelis

virginiana)

SHRUBS FOR SHADED SITESHazelnut (Corylus americana,

C. cornuta)Mountain Laurel (Kalmia latifolia)Swamp Azalea (Rhododendron

viscosum)Viburnums (V. acerfolium,

V. cassinoides, V. alnifolium)

WILDLIFE FOOD — SUMMERBlack Cherry (Prunus serotina)Choke Cherry (Prunus virginiana)Red Mulberry (Morus rubra)

WILDLIFE FOOD — FALLEastern Red Cedar (Juniperus

virginiana)Flowering Dogwood (Cornus florida)Hackberry (Celtis occidentalis)Hawthorns (Crataegus spp.)Hickories (Carya spp.)Oaks (Quercus spp.)Walnuts (Juglans spp.)

WILDLIFE COVER — WINTERAtlantic White Cedar (Chamaecyparis

thyoides)Black Spruce (Picea mariana)Eastern Hemlock (Tsuga canadensis)Eastern Red Cedar (Juniperus

virginiana)Northern White Cedar (Thuja

occidentalis)White Pine (Pinus strobus)

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The ConnecticutSea Grant CollegeProgram, based atthe University ofConnecticut, ispart of a nationalnetwork of univer-sity-based pro-grams sponsoringcoastal andmarine-relatedresearch, outreachand education.

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major disturbance disrupts the natural balance ofthe community.

• Native plants support the local ecosystem.Nativeplants pro-vide foodand shelterfor birds,butterfliesand otherdesirablewildlife.

• Nativeplants areinteresting.The diversi-ty of nativeplantsincludes

interesting flowers and foliage. Native trees andshrubs provide a variety of heights, shapes, andtextures in the landscape. Many provide winterinterest with their bark or seedpods. Native plantsalso have historical and cultural interest. Some ofthese plants played a significant role in NativeAmerican culture or in European exploration andsettlement of the continent. Many species havevalue as food or medicine. Others have been usedfor rope and twine, fabrics and dyes, and otherdomestic purposes. Native plants provide the peo-ple of today with a tangible link to the past.

HOW CAN I BEGIN LANDSCAPING WITH NATIVE PLANTS?

If you are planning a landscape on an undevel-oped lot, first examine the existing plants to deter-mine which habitat type you will be working within.Identify native trees and shrubs and see how manycould be incorporated into your new landscape.Protecting existing native plants in a new landscape

reduces the number of plants to be purchasedand provides an instant “mature landscape”. Alsoidentify invasive species for removal to preventfuture problems. In an existing landscape, replaceplants that are lost to disease or storm damagewith native species. Lists of native and invasiveplant species, and books and pamphlets describ-ing how to use them in home landscaping, areavailable from a number of sources, including theConnecticut Department of EnvironmentalProtection, the University of Connecticut, andConnecticut College Arboretum. The brief listincluded on page 3 is only to spark your imagina-tion.

As the natural landscape is developed, a gen-eral decline in both plant and wildlife habitat diver-sity occurs, leading to an overall decline in manyspecies and a population explosion of “pest”species best suited to backyard living (includingsquirrels, house sparrows, and white-tailed deer).To help offset this loss, consider planting nativetrees, shrubs and perennials around your homeand yard.

Written by –Carl A. Salsedo, Extension Educator – Horticulture, University of Connecticut Cooperative Extension System

Heather M. Crawford, Coastal Resources Educator, CT Sea Grant Extension Program

For more information contact: Connecticut Sea Grant,1084 Shennecossett Rd., Groton, CT 06340www.seagrant.uconn.edu

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