“Plant Only Natives” : This Trendy New Garden Pedantry Misses the Mark

A growing movement advocates planting ONLY native plants, and vilifies planting introduced species and keeping introduced livestock.

Over the last week, a comic on this subject is getting shared all over social media, and I may have gotten frustrated by it. I cannot resist the urge to critique a meme when it is attempting to critique those of us who are doing the best we can to operate in a deeply-flawed system.

Let’s take a look at the problems with this position, and why it fails to address the root causes and responsible parties when it comes to habitat loss and native species decline.

Ways to support our work:

[asathorvaldsdottir]

I think some of the impetus comes from the work of Dr Tallamy, showing that native plants support more species diversity than introduced species and many introduced species have inadvertently become invasive and have choked out native species and habitats. He has written interesting books about the role of individuals/households in being the solution. For instance, by minimizing lawns. I don’t think he is speaking about food crops. It is actually an empowering message, not about blame.

[annaallen]

Whycan’t we both acknowledge (and try to change) the impact that corporations and big Ag have on the environment and also do our part to plant native species that support the food web? A lot of invasive species are/were introduced as ornamentals for home gardens and public spaces. The safest bet (as far as ornamentals) is to plant mostly native species with some introduced species that we can be fairly sure are not going to become invasive. We can acknowledge that other parties are devastating the environment and simultaneously avoid contributing to the problem ourselves. Focus on changing what is within your reach.

[tinyurbanwilderness]

Doug Tallamy has done research on pollinators and how they benefit from native plants over exotics. I went nearly straight native plants for a couple of years but relaxed a bit and now I wound guess I have 90% native and 10% non invasive, non native just because some of those are pretty too. I spend so much time pulling wintercreeper, garlic mustard, oriental bittersweet, lily of the valley, Asian honeysuckle, privet, etc. only to find garden stores still selling them. Native pollinators, plants, and animals have begun reclaiming the spaces I’ve rid of invasive plants. It’s beautiful and humbling that I can make a difference.

[kbeancritters]

I don't really think it misses the mark. A lot of invasive species started bc someone thought it was pretty. I'd rather support my local ecosystem then plant something invasive.

[barbarasimoes]

I tend to be a centrist on this topic, too, as long as the introduced species don't crowd out and take over and become invasive. Just lately, I've been reading Doug Tallamy's book, Nature's Best Hope. There, for the first time, did I encounter WHY it's important to plant natives. It turns out that unless plants and animals have evolved together, they can't take advantage of what each other has to offer, ie: moths and butterflies can't access the pollen or nectar, if there even is any and the plant hasn't been bred to be sterile. If they can, it won't provide the fat and nutriment that they require. Without the food source, caterpillars won't exist there, and being the main food source of birds, the birds will need to go elsewhere, and so on, down the line. He explains it much, much better than I, and includes a boatload of science to back up his points. We've all heard about Monarch butterflies and milkweed. Because people are removing milkweed, the population of Monarchs has dropped by 96% in ten short years. Where there were 100, there are now four. Multiply this by all of the insect species and we are facing trophic collapse.
Tallamy also talks about a concept he refers to as "Homegrown National Park" where if people would plant more natives in their yards, rather than the monoculture of lawn, and if these could be more or less contiguous, animals that can't travel far would be able to still exist and branch out, filling back in the ecosystem that should be native to any region. More than 83% of the US is privately owned land, so if conservation stands a chance, individuals DO need to act. More than 40 million acres, or the size of New England, is planted with a monoculture of turfgrass, and that number is growing by 500 square miles a year. Although he hopes that more and more people on their individual plots will do some naturalizing of the land, it is not at all preachy. He does give some startling statistics throughout: Oak trees support 934 species of caterpillar nationwide; caterpillars contain more than 2x as many carotenoids as other insects--a necessary nutrient for birds and their young; In one study, it was found that a Warbler pair brought 4, 060 caterpillars to their young in a five day period. Birds only have a feeding range of about an acre when raising young.
While you may see insects on introduced species, he compares it to humans who eat sugary empty calories because it might taste good, but really, we need to eat nutritious food to stay healthy. Apparently birds and other creatures also eat junk food, too!
Kudzu has overtaken more than 7 million acres in the southeast. While it does support the sliver-spotted skipper--one species, it has mowed down native plants and trees such as oak, black cherry, willow, hickory and maple each which support hundreds upon hundreds of species, removing the food source so that the food web cannot thrive; instead it withers or collapses.


As I read this book, I'm realizing that this issue is even more urgent than our use of oil and gas. I never saw that coming, and I am a huge environmentalist. If I was unaware of this information, I wonder how to get the word out to those who don't read or watch information about gardening or environmental issues....
If anyone has read to this point, I would encourage you to look up and watch some of Doug Tallamy's videos on line if you don't have the time or inclination to read his books.

[MercadesMcCarthy]

This whole rant just confirms the meme.

[shredmetalshred]

Cultivated plants change the shape of the flowers (usually) and don't function the same way as the native. Thus when we say "plant native "euphorbias" to attract beneficial/parasitic wasps", and then we plant a cultivar of a euphorbia instead of the species, then YES IT MATTERS. The cultivars don't benefit the ecosystem in the same way that the native species does.

[ButtersTheBoyo]

Interesting you say this because almost every single person I've heard that says plant native and stands by it isn't talking about food gardens. We are talking about monoculture lawns and invasive ornamentals that use way more water than necessary.

[umiluv]

Okay… you lost me at “it’s the corporations’ fault.” Lawns = zero biodiversity. A huge part of the lack of biodiversity is due to how homes are kept. I agree that these ideas people are pushing are extreme BUT any little bit that homeowners can do in aggregate is a lot. To say that corporations need to solve it instead is shifting the responsibility and thus I totally disagree with this argument.

For ex, a lot of native lands were cut down for farming. I’d rather feed people if I can so I’m not going to blame farming for this issue. But homeowners chipping in to help with native fauna since it helps with native wildlife is a good.

Also, Ppl should be shamed for planting invasives like English Ivy. F that plant. I’d rather lawn than English Ivy. At least a lawn is easier to remove than an invasive.

[mollygrace]

I’m a newborn baby to all of this, but I would think it’s more important to choose plants that work with the environment, without changing or taxing the available water. So if you’re in a dry area, choose plants that thrive in dry areas, rather than plants that you’ll have to use extra water to keep alive. And.. I don’t know, I’m super wet areas, choose plants that soak up water to prevent floods?

[beccarebecca]

I haven't really seen anyone saying to strictly plant *only* natives, Im sure those people are out there but it seems they must be few and far between.I think most people are just trying to educate others on the importance of adding native plants to our landscapes in order to maintain and support biodiversity which is absolutely backed by science. We can all enjoy the best of both worlds!

[dougforsyth]

I'm pretty sure that Doug Tallamy is trying to encourage gardeners to try to plant some native grasses and flowering species for pollinators and some native tree species like oaks and willows that are known to be fed upon by lepidoperan larvae which are necessary food for many birds to feed to their nestlings. He does not ask any homeowner to replace all of their perennial plants with native species, nor is he asking anyone to give up growing our own fruits and vegetables. I believe it is true that we can make a difference for pollinators by planting species native to the area we live in and I began growing some natives last summer.

[donnas]

I am a native plant warrior and nobody says grow all natives or you're bad, lol. And nobody thinks non natives are destroying the earth. 'Native' is relative. Talk about drama!
Non native plants are fine except when they are invasive and destroy native habitats. People just need to plant more native shrubs and trees that are the host plants to native species to support insects, bird migrations, and the food chain.
There are many scientific studies on native cultivars as to if they are equal or poor source for pollinators. Use common sense. If there are a gazillion petals then the pollinators cannot get to the pollen.
It is actually all common sense.

[MagicalZach]

Yea idk about this. I’m pretty sure the insects and birds love my native plants that I have planted.

[Biophile]

So you're right that telling people to ONLY grow natives is ridiculous. But it is a meme and all memes lack nuance. And habitat is one area where individuals CAN make a difference. Each tiny patch of habitat is valuable. But growing food is a valuable use of land, it's even better if you can grow native food crops and do both at the same time. And some introduced plants support food webs better than others (apple trees vs. Pear trees), assuming you don't use pesticides.

However the research on honeybees shows a fairly strong negative impact on native bees. They compete for food and spread disease to wild bees. You should not fool yourself into thinking you're helping the environment by keeping them. Now if you simply want a source of honey and wax then you're just keeping a livestock animal which is fine but remember that honeybees are basically livestock. I didn't add a flock of chickens to my property thinking it would help wild birds.

One thing I tell my students as far as having introduced plants (assuming they are not invasive) is trying to choose varieties that have functional flowers, actually having stamens and not having tons of extra petals. Single roses and impatients for example.

The plants that are especially bad are those that don't interact with the environment at all, no pollen or nectar, no fruit and no leaves that can be eaten by herbivores. A double flowered oleander would be an example of that. You're basically putting in a plastic plant in that case. Now is it terrible to plant those at all? Not necessarily but you would not want to fill your landscape with plants like that if you have any interest in promoting the health of the environment.

Lastly while big corporations do bear some responsibility for our climate and habitat crises, they do produce what consumers demand. But individual gardeners have a real chance to make a difference and we should do whatever we can. See Doug Tallamys Bringing Nature Home for the biggest impacts you can make. And he has never been a "grow only natives" person.

[tanyadraper]

My personal opinion is that everyone should be growing some native plants in their yard but it seems absurd to grow only native plants especially if your goal is food production.

Growing only natives may be more realistic if you are not growing food but still people spend more time gardening in a yard that brings them joy. SO I say whatever brings you joy should be what you plant. ( maybe with the exception of harmful invasive species)

[marianwhit]

Where permaculture misses the mark is when it is planting whatever for the benefit of only one's self without thinking about its future to be invasive and disregarding the neighbors (both human and animal).

The above is the kind of sweeping generalization that you are making about native plant enthusiasts. I have promoted native plants for more than thirty years and have yet to meet anyone with a 100% native plant garden. We are zealous because we have found a way to fight back against big scary things like Anthropocene extinction, and are interested in serving more than ourselves. Because a garden is not a self-indulgent pretty collection of plants...but a place full of life, that functions well in supporting the things we love like birds, butterflies, frogs, etc. You are zealous for your own reasons, such as feeding yourself.

What is wrong is choosing to make it a battle...we have much to learn from each other.

[braidenianniello]

She had some good points, but she lost me at “it’s their fault not ours.” It IS our responsibility, because if we don’t plant native plants, and teach others the right thing to do, no one else will. And that’s quite obvious.

[sharist]

Have you read Doug Tallamy's book, or watched his lecture, 'Nature's Best Hope'? I have seen a lot more different bird species and pollinators in my yard since I have been planting natives and getting rid of lawn! I feel like nature needs all the help she can get, and I personally feel like I am doing a lot of good planting native species in my yard. I still sign environmental petitions, protest big ag's toxic soup of chemicals, buy organic, have my own vegetable garden, etc. Yet, I think planting native plants is something we can all do help nature as much as possible. It is so sad to walk in the woods and see how all the invasives from other countries have taken over, and also how many of these imported plants have brought pests and diseases that have harmed our native species. I think my gardens are far more beautiful with mostly native plants than they ever were before and they are buzzing with life, more now than ever and it is a joy to see the transformation!

[isener]

As a native person, I feel there’s nothing “silly” or “ridiculous” about wanting to plant all native plants in ones own property. Why the need to bash people who believe it’s important? I usually enjoy your videos, but this appears to be a rant video where it is unclear who your targeting as the bad guys?