The popular media generalize about the virtues of native plants, leading us to think they’re perfectly adapted to our gardens — even “no-maintenance plants” — and in the real world, there’s no such thing. Consider:
- So many landscape settings, especially in urban and suburban areas, have been changed significantly by development. Shade trees are removed. Even the soil itself is removed. The site is anything but “native.”
- Some plants just don’t like being uprooted, potted up and hauled around — typical treatment in the nursery business. Those with long taproots, for example, respond poorly to being moved at all.
- Climate change is putting new stresses on all plants, native and nonnative. Longer droughts, more intense rain events, warmer temperatures and other changes are already threatening the existence of state flowers and trees in 28 states.
- Indigenous plants now have to compete with tough immigrants from other parts of the world. They have to contend with imported diseases, too, like the wooly adelgid that’s now killing Canadian hemlocks and anthractnose infestation of dogwoods.
- A plant labeled “native” may fail because it’s only native to somewhere in the U.S. Well, it’s a big place with lots of incompatible climatic regions. Even in my small state, many plants native to Maryland’s shoreline or to high elevations perform poorly (actually die) in hot, dry gardens in my area.
