According to the National Wildlife Federation, a plant is considered native if it has occurred naturally in a particular region, ecosystem or habitat without human introduction. We caught up with West Bloomfield Park Naturalist Supervisor Lauren Azoury, who said there are a multitude of reasons to plant native.
Azoury first discussed how planting native makes for a lower-maintenance garden in the long run. Since native plants will thrive in the soils, moisture and weather of your region, that means less watering and less use of pesticides.
As for the environmental impact, Azoury said that growing native plants add important habitats for wildlife, especially our pollinators, such as hummingbirds, bees and butterflies, who are vital to maintaining healthy ecosystems. “Native plants also have a pretty deep root structure and are also really great for filtering toxins and managing rainwater runoff,” she added.
In order to teach residents how and why they should plant native, West Bloomfield Parks planted a couple native gardens last year, one along the West Bloomfield Trail and the other one at Marshbank Park with the help of Girl Scout Troop 76057.
If you’re interested in planting native, Azoury recommended thinking about the particulars of your own landscape, which will help when selecting the plants. For example, what kind of sun do you get? Is it all shade, part-shade or all sun? Secondly, she said it’s important that you purchase from a true native grower: “Big box stores may have native plants, but they may not be native to Michigan.”
One local way to purchase native plants from true native growers is to attend West Bloomfield Parks’ annual Native Plant Sale, which will be taking place curbside on May 22 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. You must place your native plant order in advance via wbparks.org/plantsale. Also, if you’re unable to attend West Bloomfield’s, Stage Nature Center in Troy and Clinton River Watershed Council in Rochester Hills will also be hosting them, as well, and a percentage of the proceeds will be donated and split among all three to help further their missions of environmental education.
“The main thing people should understand is that you can start small,” Azoury said. “Come see our gardens and be inspired, but they don’t have to make it as big as we did. Even just planting in a little corner of your backyard or garden is helpful and beneficial. And don’t be intimidated by native plant gardening. In the long run, I promise it’ll be easier and more beneficial.”