Chapter Four: Landscaping with Native Plants A Gardener’s Guide for Missouri Landscaping with Native Plants A Gardener’s Guide for Missouri Introduction Gardening with native plants is becoming the norm rather than the exception in Missouri. The benefits of native landscaping are fueling a gardening movement that says “no” to pesticides and fertilizers and “yes” to biodiversity and creating more sustainable landscapes. Novice and professional gardeners are turning to native landscaping to reduce mainte- nance and promote plant and wildlife conservation. This manual will show you how to use native plants to cre- ate and maintain diverse and beauti- ful spaces. It describes new ways to garden lightly on the earth. Chapter Four: Landscaping with Native Plants provides tools garden- ers need to create and maintain suc- cessful native plant gardens. The information included here provides practical tips and details to ensure successful low-maintenance land- scapes. The previous three chap- ters include Reconstructing Tallgrass Prairies, Rain Gardening, and Native landscapes in the Whitmire Wildflower Garden, Shaw Nature Reserve. Control and Identification of Invasive Species. use of native plants in residential gar- den design, farming, parks, roadsides, and prairie restoration. Miller called his History of Native work “The Prairie Spirit in Landscape Landscaping Design”. One of the earliest practitioners of An early proponent of native landscap- Miller’s ideas was Ossian C. Simonds, ing was Wilhelm Miller who was a landscape architect who worked in appointed head of the University of the Chicago region. In a lecture pre- Illinois extension program in 1912. He sented in 1922, Simonds said, “Nature published a number of papers on the Introduction 3 teaches what to plant. By going to prairies, wetlands, river-bottom for- the neighboring woods and seeing ests, glades and upland savannas. the trees and plants and shrubs they They have evolved with the extremes contain, one can tell pretty accu- of our climate, a wide array of patho- rately what plants will do well in any gens and a variety of soil and mois- given locality.” Nearly 100 years ago ture types, creating a palette of Simonds, Miller, and others understood durable and showy Missouri native that native plants are a good choice for plants that are the focus of landscape use in landscaping and they were right. gardening. Plants such as yellow wild Today native plants are used in resi- indigo (Baptisia sphaerocarpa), native dential and commercial landscaping, to the tallgrass prairie, and white- highway projects, habitat restoration, tinged oak sedge (Carex albicans), storm-water management, for parks which grows in dry woodlands, are and corporate office buildings. easy-to-grow beauties being show- cased in botanical garden displays, Metro St. Louis Sewer District rain Why Use Missouri Native gardens, and homeowners’ flower beds. Gardeners who use Missouri Plants? native plants have more success than those who use plants from other Local Ecotype Native Plants regions of the United States. Missouri’s natural plant communities offer a diversity of native plants to gardeners. For thousands of years, they have been adapting to life in A typical Missouri creek in the Ozarks (left) and rocky glade (right) are homes to many native plants that are useful in native landscaping. Introduction 4 Landscaping with Native Plants A Gardener’s Guide for Missouri ensures seasonal interest, with the Eight Reasons to Use Native bonus of attracting colorful birds, but- Plants terflies and insects. For a Sense of Place For Stormwater Management People who have lived in one place for Rain gardens, bioretention and wet- a time develop images of their home land detention basins are a few best that create a sense of belonging and management practices in use. They familiarity. Those who have lived in slow down and absorb rain water, thus rural Missouri know about flowering reducing the quantity and velocity of dogwood. For instance, its blossoms stormwater runoff while improving and berries have made their mark in water quality. the hearts and thoughts of so many Missouri residents that it is the state See Chapter Two – Rain Gardening tree. Many people have recognized this and Storm Water Management for heart-felt connection with nature, and it details on planning, constructing and often is referred to as “sense of place”. maintaining rain gardens. For Beautification For Educational Opportunities Wildflowers, flowering vines, shrubs and trees offer a wide range of colors, Native plant gardens present end- textures and forms to create dynamic less opportunities for learning about seasonal displays. Grasses and sedges seasonal cycles, wildlife, and plant have interesting flowers and seed life cycles. Quiet spaces outside can heads and yellow–orange fall color. be used for art and reading classes. Shrubs and trees have fall color and Environmental and conservation topics berries that persist into the winter. are taught best outdoors. Choosing a wide assortment of plants Left: Luna moth perched on wood poppy. Right: Sulphur butterfly getting nectar from a New England aster blossom. 5 wild bergamot (Monarda fistulosa) and round-leaved groundsel (Senecio obova- tus) deter deer. Some plants repel deer because of their coarse, rough, hairy or spiny textures. This group includes rat- tlesnake master (Eryngium yuccifolium) and prickly pear cactus (Opuntia humi- fusa). A deer-resistant garden includes a high percentage of these types of plants. See pages 32-33 for a list of deer resis- Bioretention seeding in Columbia, Missouri tant native plants. reduces maintenance costs associated with mowing, mulching, and weeding. For Erosion Control For Less Maintenance Siltation is a main source of water pol- Compared with lawns and mulched lution. Soil loss can be reduced by tree, shrub and perennial plantings, using plants with strong, deep roots in landscapes planted with appropriate place of turf, rock or concrete. Plants native plants require less maintenance. hold the soil, absorb water and slow They require minimal watering (except the flow of water over the surface. during establishment and drought peri- Replacing turf with native plantings is ods) and they need no chemical fertil- an effective way to help control erosion. izers or pesticides. To Create Wildlife Habitat Characteristics of native plants that reduce maintenance include: A native plant garden with a diversity • Longevity: plants that live for of trees, shrubs, perennials and grasses many decades provides food and shelter for insects, • Three to four-season interest: plants birds, amphibians and mammals that are apealing most of the year throughout the growing season. • Variable conditions: plants that Leaving seed heads and plant structure tolerate a wide range of light and throughout winter provides continuing moisture conditions food and shelter for many creatures • Small and compact: plants that are and provides opportunities to observe in scale with a given space nature up close. • Weed elimination: plants that grow into dense groupings and eliminate For Resistance to Deer Browse weeds • Seediness: plants that do not spread Deer are adaptable and eat a wide vari- readily from seed ety of plants. Forturately there are many native plants that deer avoid. Deer See page 24 for a list of top performing rely on their sense of smell to deter- native plants that reduce the amount of mine whether an area is safe and which maintenance. plants are desirable to eat. For instance, plants with aromatic foliage such as 6 Landscaping with Native Plants A Gardener’s Guide for Missouri Cost comparisons: This list provides many reasons to use native plants in a landscape, but Turf before you begin planting, think about • Average turf installation per what you want the landscape to do acre (seed): $3,000 for you. You may want to reduce time • Average turf installation per and money spent mowing a large acre (sod): $8,000 expanse of turf. Or you may want to • Annual turf maintenance per reduce the expense of installing annu- acre: $1,000 al flower beds. These numbers put the • Annual turf maintenance cost of mowing grass and maintaining for homeowner:$500 standard planting beds into perspec- tive. Native Prairie Seeding • Average prairie seeding per acre: $1,500 • Annual prairie maintenance per acre: $200 The proper handling of stormwater runoff is a significant issue for homeowners, neigh- borhoods and communities. Left: a rain garden planted with Missouri native plants at the Missouri Methodist Conference Center in Columbia, Missouri. Right: Missouri Botanical Garden bioretention best managment practice (BMP) planted with natives in the main entry parking lot (oak sedge (Carex albicans) in foreground). 7 Mulched Groundcover Planting • Average planting per 1,000 sq. ft. $2,500 • Annual maintenance per 1,000 sq. ft. $200 Standard Mulched Planting Bed • Average planting per 1,000 sq. ft. $3,500 • Annual maintenance per 1,000 sq. ft. $400 Native groundcovers require the least amount of maintenance because they establish quickly, are long-lived, sup- press weeds and require little mulch once established. Native groundcov- ers also are an excellent alternative A site plan of your property will help you to invasive wintercreeper euonymus, decide where to place gardens, walkways, English ivy and periwinkle that have patios and stormwater features. escaped cultivation and invaded many natural woodlands in Missouri. Indicate north, south, east, and west, soil types, existing vegetation See page 26 for a list of native and patterns of shade and sunlight. groundcovers. Make copies of the drawing so various versions of the planning Site Evaluation process can be kept as the design changes. As possibilities are pulled Map the Area together, remember the saying “don’t fight the site.” For most con- Now that you’ve thought about ditions encountered, there is a list of why to use native plants and what plants that will thrive there. It is your goals are, it’s time to make simpler and less expensive to use a map.