interrogative sentence :
Susan , really well article . But in a 2018 clause about Crape Myrtles , you were questioning whether or not non - natives might not have a seat in our landscapes . Now it seems as if you ’ve climb up on the “ All native ” bandwagon . Do you still feel that a combining of native and nonnatives might allow a hard-nosed approach to help nature ?
ANSWER :
This is a very timely remark since I ’ve been call up a lot about the interrogation of using nonnatives in the landscape . As we live from studies on Carolina chickadees ( Desirée L. Narango , Douglas W. Tallamy , and Peter P. Marra , 2018 ) , landscapes with less than 70 % native flora do not support the survival of chickadee or their youthful . When I first find out Doug Tallamy quote the minimum 70 % guideline , I was free to think that I could indulge my fancy for plant such as lilacs ( puerility memories ) , lungworts , leadworts , and paeony , and still be a contributing phallus of the homegrown national park movement . However , the chickadee study went on to show that a landscape painting with 94 % natives is even in effect for chickadee selection . When I wrote the2018 clause on crape myrtlesto which you refer , I was concentrating on the issue of whether that nonnative was invading . I consider the incursive facet of nonnatives to be a principal concern , which it is . However , I had not yet to the full appreciated the longer opinion of build an synergistic environment based on the evolutionary relationship between native plant life and the aboriginal insect that patronise them . I ’m still learning about that .
In our landscape painting , I can observe lots of pollinator action on nonnatives such as crape Vinca minor , Russian salvia ( Perovskia atriplicifolia ) , and the yearly flowering works , gomphrena . But there are now studies that are explore differences in nectar timber . Some plants extend nectar that is more beneficial to pollinator . I do n’t know if the nonnatives I mentioned are offering high quality nectar . More importantly , even if we assume that the nonnative plant life are bring forth extremely good nectar , their foliage still is n’t allow for food for caterpillar . All three of those flower nonnatives , however , are deer and drought resistant , and put up late - time of year , long - lasting bloom which is good for pollinators .
As described inthis clause , we had moved into a home that had the stark of landscape painting planting . It was a fairly clean ticket , and I wanted to implant as many natives on that clean slate as possible . Two years by and by , however , we ’ve found that the damage from cervid browsing has been terrible on most of the native shrubs we planted . American beauty Chuck Berry ( Callicarpa americana ) has been a wondrous exception . Some viburnum species are more repellent than others . We ’ve had to cage ourV. dentanum , butV. nudum , both full-strength species and cultivar , have testify so-so immune . V. prunifoliumwas mostly defoliated by the second day after planting . I will keep experiment with aboriginal shrubs to find more that are deer resistant , but the cervid damage has been discourage to escort .
Except for the periphery trees ( Chionanthus virginicus ) , the native tree have not been browsed by deer , but the survival rate has been unsatisfying . It ’s likely that the severe drought this summertime had something to do with that . But I also think that the native tree stemma that ’s useable is not always as hardy as more commonly request nonnative tree . The survival of the fittest of native Tree seems special , and the character has n’t been consistent . you could easy find red maples , for example , but other tree diagram such as hornbeams ( Carpinus caroliniana ) and American smoke tree ( Cotinus obovatus ) are more difficult to find . This will most likely commute with increase demand for native trees . Another Piedmont Master Gardener , who is an expert on indigen , suggested that aboriginal tree and bush might be more particular about where they are plant and less adaptable to less - than - ideal grow atmospheric condition as compared to nonnatives and cultivars that have been bred to be robust .
Although I am find out more about the end finish of plant natives and how to reach these finish , the unequalled characteristics of our item-by-item landscape offer hardheaded challenges . For example , I am define in our landscape painting to choose deer - resistant plants that can allow full sun , all 24-hour interval . There is also the challenge of finding provider of good quality aboriginal flora , especially trees and shrub , of sufficient variety . Native perennial are becoming much leisurely to find , especially in light of the Plant Virginia Natives drive which has been get hold of out to provider as well as educating home gardener . You may have understand in area nurseries the red recording label from this effort highlighting plants that are topically aboriginal . The Northern Virginia plant native campaign has been compiling a listing of cultivar of topically aboriginal plants — include bush and tree diagram — that put up bionomical overhaul similar to the straight species .
My goal is to have well over 70 % natives but I have the “ vantage ” of planting new rather than replacing . I will still keep or even add some nonnative shrubs or perennials if they are cervid insubordinate , well - suit to our challenging landscape painting conditions , and bring me joy . by nature , the “ joy saloon ” for selecting nonnative plants becomes higher as I distinguish more native plants that flourish on our site .
Dear Reader , many thanks for your thrifty reading , and for highlight such an important area of study .
Featured Photo : by Hannah Wei , Unsplash
