Native plants have evolved alongside their local counterparts (insects, fungi, plant species, pollinators, birds and wildlife) co-adapting to climatic and soil changes. These mutually beneficial relationships are vital to a thriving ecosystem. Many non-native ornamental species confuse pollinators and other insects with their distorted reproductive parts, contributing to the reduction of pollinator populations. Only native plants support caterpillars which comprise the main food source for birds. We also believe using native plants in the landscape helps us to connect to our natural world and local ecosystems.

Soil, together with native plants, comprise a complex system that supports all life. When we add synthetic fertilizers, herbicides, and pesticides (inputs) to our lawns and gardens, we disrupt this natural relationship that has co-evolved with other environmental and ecological factors. Most soils have all the components necessary to support plant life, as long as the biology in the soil is not disturbed. Inputs, especially fertilizers, can trick soil biology into thinking they have all the nutrients they need. In turn, these microbes get “lazy” and alter the pace of the work they have been doing all along. As a result, the system is thrown out of balance and will ultimately become less vigorous.

Thomas Rainer, a leading voice in ecological landscape design, said “Lawns should be area rugs and not wall to wall carpeting.” We agree! Out of all the components of a landscape, lawns require the most water, the most fertilizers, and the most maintenance. Sod farms are significant culprits in polluting streams and rivers as fertilizers are constantly infiltrating into the soil and eventually into our watersheds. Lawns are mostly devoid of many beneficial insects, unless you have clover or other broadleafs in your lawn, then you will see many bees! It makes not only ecological sense but also financial sense to replace or reduce your lawn with an alternative ground cover. Ground covers can range from native low grow grass species that require minimal mowing, to a mixed planting with a native grass and wildflower seed, to planting a singular flowering species that will spread to cover as much bare ground as possible. That said, we believe there can be a place, albeit a small one, for a conventional lawn in the landscape. Some special uses are for young children, for pets, and for walkways or areas where you want to separate garden spaces.

It is a common practice in most conventional landscape maintenance programs to scoop up and haul off most every leaf in the landscape. We are trying to remove less leaves as we transition to more sustainable practices. Leaves provide cover for overwintering insect larvae, such as Lepidoptera (the moth) which is one of the top pollinator species (even more than butterflies). Leaves return carbon and nutrients back to the soil as they decompose, replacing mulch as an insulating winter layer for returning perennials. Leaves also provide moisture to microorganisms in the soil as they work through the winter to break down nutrients into the soil.

To maximize ecological value in the landscape it is essential to plant for seasonal blooming (spring, summer, fall), plant for specialist (90% of insects that eat plants are host plant specialists) and generalist pollinators, plant keystone plants that provide the most food such as oaks, willows, maples, aspens, coneflower, and asters, among many others in our ecoregion, to wildlife and insects that require the food and cover to support their populations.

The conventional way of gardening has been mired in a mindset that gardens must have a neat and tidy appearance with nicely mulched spaces in-between plants. It is time to embrace a new mindset and to wild our garden spaces. To achieve this, a stout knowledge of horticulture and ecology is required, arguably more than conventional landscape design.

Education and collaboration is important to switch the mindset from conventional to ecological when designing landscapes that are a partnership with our surroundings. Connecting people to plants is how we excite the process of stewardship for our outdoor spaces.