Gardening with Native Plants

There's an exciting change happening in the gardening world that we are loving at Meeting Green! More and more often, we hear customers ask for native plants! The environmental challenges associated with climate change, like increasingly common weather disasters, have encouraged people to reconnect with the land and prioritize plants that are beneficial to their environment. Gardening with native plants may seem confusing at first, but it's the easiest way to garden! Keep reading to learn more about why gardening with native plants is important, a few tips for "rewilding" your lawn, and some of our favorite native plants.

Native plants are plants that are naturally occurring in a specific region and have evolved along with the native insects, birds, and other animals. They sustain the local ecosystem by blooming and providing food at the correct time for native animals, regulate water in flood zones, aid in preventing water and air pollution, and even cool the air. Native plants thrived before human intervention and they are the best suited plants for combating changing environmental conditions in their specific region. In Charleston, many native plants have deep root systems to combat flooding and are more equipped to tolerate salt and humidity.

If you want to incorporate native plants into your landscape but don't know where to start, don't worry!

• Start small! Pick a bed or area of your yard to dedicate to native plants. Adding some native plants is better than none and nobody expects you to redo your landscaping in a day!

• Plant in multiples! Pollinators can be picky and some like to feed on the same type of flower. Planting 5-6 of the same species is better for the bugs and less for you to worry about!

• Let nature do most of the work! Native plants are thriving in the woods and fields of their region and need little to no help from people. Their ability to survive drought, flooding, heat, and humidity are just some of the many benefits of planting natives!

There are many wonderful native plants in Charleston and these are five of our favorites!

1. Muhlenbergia capillaris ‘Pink muhly grass’ - a popular grass with showy pink flowers thriving in full to part sun and tolerant of drought and occasional flooding. A great source of food and habitat for birds and small animals.

2. Sabal minor ‘Dwarf palmetto’ - small palm that provides food for birds and grows well in both moist and dry conditions.

3. Callicarpa americana ‘American beautyberry’ - small shrub that typically grows in open meadows and thickets, providing nectar/pollen for pollinating insects. The fruit clusters are a food source for birds and commonly used to make jelly!

4. Rudbeckia hirta ‘Black - Eyed Susan’ - this herbaceous wildflower is an excellent source of nectar/pollen for pollinators and acts as a host plant for butterfly larvae! Thrives in the full to part sun and can often be found on roadsides and fields.

5. Gelsemium sempervirens ‘Carolina jessamine’ - this vining plant is a great nectar source for hummingbirds! Tolerant of drought, salt, and flooding, this vine is often found climbing up trees near roads.