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By: Bianca Marcellino
However, there are a few things to consider when wanting to add some native plants to your garden.
Planning:
1. You’ll first want to characterize the garden site that you will be working with. What kind of soil do you have?
This will help guide you to what kinds of native plants will do well in your area so that you can match the right plant to its required conditions.
It may also be beneficial to research what kind of plants existed on the area before development to get a sense of what will do well. By filtering the species profiles of various native plants on CanPlant, you can get information on their native ranges as well as their moisture, soil and sun requirements.
2. Once you have characterized your area, it is often helpful to draw up a simple garden plan to help decide where plants will go, keep track of any changes to the original garden design, and visualize what the end result will look like. You may want to consider:
3. Next, you may need to prepare the soil at the site for planting. If you matched your plant selections to the soil type that you already have, you probably won’t need to make too many adjustments to the soil. If there are no plants currently present, or the soil is unsuitable (rocky or clay-based soils are not very good for any plants), compost and/or manure may need to be added to improve nutrient content.
Pollinator & Wildlife Promotion: 1. Try to have blooms all season long to maintain a steady food source/shelter for wildlife.
2. Leave plants up for winter. Not only can they add some beauty to a dull winter landscape, but they can provide critical habitat for animals during the winter months.
With these tips in mind, head over to the CanPlant species page and discover a world of native plants suitable for your yard! With a free account, you can save a custom species list perfect for keeping track of everything you plan to add to your garden, and then find what local nurseries sell native species near you using our Native Plant Nursery Map!
References & Additional Resources: What to know about starting your first native plant garden Your guide to gardening with native plants
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CanPlant Blog 43 April 5, 2022 |