How We Talk About Native Plants

2/17/2021

In A New Garden Ethic I make the case that any conversation or debate we have about native plants is less about the plants and more about human privilege and avoiding environmental grief; because this is what's really at the core of how we approach the topic, as well as gardening itself, emotions are automatically rich and complex. Gardening is a very personal act, an expressive art, and like the students in my writing workshops, it takes time to learn how to speak to one another about our lives and to do so honestly so we can make constructive changes.

All that being said, I've run out of patience with some native plant proponents who are overly aggressive and hardline in their perspective. Yes, that will sound odd coming from me, someone who will always advocate for 100% native landscapes (please don't argue with me on what native is). The problem is we have folks in horticulture whose identity and livelihood is tied up in seeing plants as either pieces of art or commodities to earn a living from, or both; of course the conversation is going to escalate, it's human nature, especially at the start of a conversation where we all feel like we have something to defend that's intimate. (This is why many equate fundamentalist religion and native plants -- it's easy to feel judged, it's almost pre-built into our pscyhe.) I mean, we can't even discuss renewable energy without hand grenades going off about various socio-economic issues.

I'm never going to mix lots of exotic species into my garden designs, and I'm going to shake my head at overly designed landscapes many times a day, but I also know that even though all of us approach gardening differently (because we all are different), our end goals and desires and concerns are almost always similar: climate change, mass extinction, habitat loss, beauty, resilience, low maintenance, etc.

This is where I want to change how we talk to one another. I wouldn't call it an olive branch, but it's something I've learned talking about climate change: first you have to listen and find points of agreement before you can delve into the issues you see causing problems. A good pun doesn't hurt.

How can we discuss native plants without getting red hot in three seconds? By asking questions where we can find common ground in our own experiences and stories:

1) "Ok, we clearly don't agree about native plant percentages in a designed garden. Let's put that aside. What wildlife do you enjoy seeing in your garden?"
2) "Why do you like to garden? Why does it matter to you?"
3) "What can we do to address climate change and mass extinction in our private gardens, and then perhaps further out into our neighborhoods?"
4) "You love your heirloom daylily collection? Cool. No one's asking you to rip it out. But how can we increase ecosystem function with them? Maybe a ground layer of sedge, purple poppy mallow, or geranium. Maybe late-season flowering perennials that can help cover up the daylily foliage that gets ratty by late summer."

2 Comments

James McGee

2/18/2021 08:37:13 pm

I have been verbally assaulted by native plant enthusiasts. This is ironic since I spend about 200 hours a year volunteering to control invasive species. The daylilies, roses, peonies, etc. in my garden are a result of how I came about getting involved in ecological restoration. I started gardening before learning about native plants.

Later, when I became involved in ecological restoration, I grew some native plants for those restorations. I sold some of the plants I grew because I did not want to plant them all. When I sold the native plants, I also included a few Penstemon whippleanus. I had extra after growing this alpine penstemon for my rock garden. Although this penstemon is native to the continent, it is not native to Illinois.

I sure received a tongue lashing for selling non-native plants.

At least I have removed most of the invasive species from my garden. I have left one small patch of lily-of-the-valley and vinca that was present when I purchased my home. These species seem to be contained if they are surrounded by lawn.

As time has progressed, I have started thinking more about wanting to grow insects instead of just showy flowers. This led me to increasingly use native plants. If everyone had a yard like mine, then monarchs would not be endangered.

I still put most of my effort toward native plants into public land. This is because I have seen every garden I have ever created destroyed. Sure, I have butterfly milkweed, coneflower, and native sedges in my garden. However, the seeds I collect from natural areas are too valuable for a garden unless I am growing plants specifically to get more seed for restoration. Since I know the eventual fate of my garden will be the same as all my other gardens, I hope no one holds it against me if I have a few highly bred daylilies, peonies, and roses.

Amy Crow

3/18/2021 01:28:53 pm

I have come to the conclusion that to "sell" the plan of converting at least a part of every lawn (if not all of the lawn, lol) to natives, or at least to discontinue using fertilizers and all pesticides, I believe we have to meet people where they are. And I have found that almost all people who have (or desire) flowers, grasses, bushes, and different trees on their properties want some other plants than just natives because of beauty, exotic appeal, color, texture, smell, fruit, whatever! As long as they pollinate the native bees, bugs, don't poison anything with pesticides, feed their desired wildlife naturally, and add to it, too(legally), I don't care if they have non-natives in their garden.
Who am I to judge?
I am just glad to see the amount of money Americans spend on keeping their lawns to keep them green and weed free, lessesed. Recently, I read that to do this, it equals to the amount the USA gives out annually in foreign aid - which is way over 20 billion per year. That is, of course, I believe, public lawns included. Still, that's a lot of grass and one heck of a lot of money.
Native plantings, in my estimation, has a long upward journey. There is not much room for "purists" probably, not even me, who is so against pesticides, which indiscriminately kill.
Time will tell. I just wish I was an elequent writer.
I am a retired RN who has been a passionate organic gardener for years, into herbs, flowers, vegetables, and lately, (the last five or so years) natives as I grew milkweed for Monarch butterflies and other plants for birds and planted a butterfly garden... I am always learning. Thank goodness.
So enjoy your flowers!

About

Benjamin Vogt's thoughts on prairie gardening in Nebraska. With a healthy dose of landscape ethics, ecophilosophy, climate change, and social justice.