It’s time to get some plants! But how do you choose?
Last week I talked about using nursery web sites to narrow down the pool of plants to ones that are suited to your yard’s conditions. You can also just do a lot of web browsing. Search for “native plants for [insert your region or state here].” That should turn up plenty of options. There are also plenty of books on the subject at your library, like this Minnesota classic, Wildflowers of Minnesota.
And one more thing: As you’re looking at the array of plants to choose from, you’ll also run into notes about zones. This is probably the most basic measurement of survivability that people go by to decide if a plant will work in their yard or not. “Zone” refers to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s map of climate zones, which is based largely on the average minimum temperature in a particular area.
Southern Minnesota is in Zone 4, or Zone 4b to be exact, meaning the average annual minimum temperature is -20F to -25F. Any plant classified for Zone 4 or below should be able to at least survive the winter here (theoretically), whereas anything Zone 5 or above probably won’t.
Okay, you have built your list. You know:
- What zone you’re in.
- What plants are native to your region.
- Which of those natives have a preference for your soil composition and pH and moisture level.
- Which like lots of sun or not so much sun.
Now what?
Look at the sketch you drew of where you want your garden to go. Stand in front of that spot even. Think about what colors you want to see and how tall—and wide—these plants will get. Then consider a couple more rules of thumb:
- In general, you’ll want the shorter plants in the front, taller plants in the back, just like in class photos.
- Grouping the same plants together looks nicer than scattering individual plants around. You can put one kind of plant in more than one place in your garden, but putting three or four together in one place makes for a better color effect than scattering them individually amongst other individual plants. Think Monet rather than Jackson Pollock. The exception is if you want to have a really big plant or you have a really small garden.
Why all this prep work? You want to just get out there and get your plants, right?
Well, all of this prep work may not be strictly necesssary, but I’ve found it saves heartache later. One of the reasons I love native plants is because they’re tough, and one of the reasons they’re tough, especially prairie plants, is because they have big root systems. That means it pays to get them in the right place the first time, because once those roots are established, they can be hard to move successfully later on.
That may seem like a lot of pressure, but, well, it kind of is. It’s not the end of the world if you decide in a year or two you want to do something different. Just be prepared that, if you change your mind later on or discover your plant is in the wrong place, you may have to dig the plant up altogether and replace it rather than move it. Or you could just decide, whatever, it wasn’t what I was going for, but it’s fine.
Let’s go shopping!
Now is the moment! With list in hand, it’s time to head to the garden center!
You can shop online for plants, too, of course. There are many good, reputable native plant sellers who can get plants to you in time for spring planting. But for me, there’s nothing like going to the garden center and strolling up and down the aisles.
If you live in a city or the suburbs, there’s a good chance there are several nurseries and garden centers near you, and more and more of them are getting on board with native plants. And a specialty nursery out in the country or in another town is always a good excuse for a road trip. Another great source is at farmers markets. Even big box store garden centers can have a nice selection of natives, but with these you need to be extra careful about the health of the plant you buy.
One pro gardener tip: Check with friends or relatives who may have native plants and see if they’re willing to share. Many plants, especially natives, need to be divided once in a while when they get too big. Most gardeners hate throwing away perfectly good plants, so they’ll be more than happy to give them to you for free. Most of the plants in my microprairie came from a good friend who didn’t mind digging into her plants and sharing.
But whatever you do, don’t go out into the countryside and start digging them up. For one thing, in many states it’s illegal to dig up native plants, especially rare ones. You’d be disturbing the ecosystem and moving those plants closer to extinction. For another, you may not know what you’re getting. Some plants have lookalikes that are not only not the plant you want, they can be invasives, and they can be downright dangerous.
So for now, let’s stick with the standard sources.
How do I know it’s a real native and not a variety?
A lot of plants that started out as natives have been bred to enhance certain characteristics, like height or color. One way to make sure you’re getting a pure native and not a variety of that native is to check the scientific name of the plant on the label. The native plant will have just the Latin name, while a variety will have the Latin name, followed by the variety name in quotes or following an “x.”
School is still out on whether a variety of a native like coneflowers are any different or any less beneficial than the original, but you don’t have to be a purist. I have a couple varietals of coneflowers tucked in with the natives just because I like the orange color. But I think until we know more, it’s best for bees and other pollinators if I err on the side of more natives.
You don’t have to be a purist in another way, too: If you run across a non-native plant that you really love and have dreamed of growing, go for it. For instance, I love hydrangeas. But just know that the local insect population won’t get as much benefit from them. On my hydrangeas, I notice some kind of pollinating wasp seems to like the flowers, but I rarely see any bees hanging around, not like with the microprairie.
So off to the store with you, or to a friend’s house, or wherever! It’s time to do some window shopping. Once you get there, don’t be afraid to ask questions! If it’s a good nursery where people know their plants, they’ll be more than happy to share their knowledge.
Check out what you want, but don’t buy quite yet. Next week we’ll talk about how to prep your site, so your plants will have a nice garden to come home to. After that, we’ll talk about what to look for in a healthy plant.