What Exactly Is a “Native” Plant?

The simple definition: It’s from here.

The longer definition? A native species is one that’s grown, evolved and rooted itself to the same general area and ecosystem for generations. In our part of the world, that means well before European colonization, and oftentimes hundreds of years before that. 

Ecologists can estimate what plants have been growing where—and for how long—through a number of methods, from fossil records to earlier historical accounts from societies past. There are degrees to “native” as well: While the native range of the Southern Magnolia tree may stretch all the way from East Texas to the Carolina Lowcountry, the Venus Flytrap is endemic to the coastal Carolina wetlands alone.

But fear not: We’re not asking you to flood your yard with those carnivorous little tricksters. In fact, Carolinians are lucky to live in one of the most ecologically diverse regions in the States, The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s database lists nearly 4,000 plants as native Carolina species, grown in all sorts of shapes, sizes, colors and textures, which means native gardeners have their pick of the litter.

Some institutions take an even stronger stance on what counts as “native.” The University of Maryland, for example, uses this axiom to affirm that a native plant should occur naturally in their ecoregion and habitat where over the course of evolutionary time they have adapted to physical conditions and co-evolved with the other species in the system.

“Co-evolve?”

Precisely. Here’s where it gets interesting. Native flora is so effective in its landscaping application because of its reliance on its local brothers and sisters. Take the classic example of the Three Sisters: squash, corn and beans. Corn stalks act as a trellis for beans to climb and set up shop, while beans add nitrogen to the soil and squash leaves suppress the weeds.

There are plenty of similar, indelible examples as well. Popular native grasses like Little Bluestem have shorter-reaching roots that pull nutrients from the soil directly beneath, while a complementary color pop like Butterfly Weed digs a knotty, vertical taproot to yank its nutrition at depth. Feeding at two different zones means there’s enough pie for everyone, allowing plants to flourish.

“Okay, sounds good… but I’ve got stuff to do”

We hear you loud and clear. We created Crown Town Landscapes in large part to lower the barrier to entry for doing the right thing. We know not all of us have the time, wherewithal or desire to spend all day thinking about plants. Life moves faster than that.

Luckily, we do have the time. If you’re interested in making your home or business more environmentally friendly, easier to maintain and natively populated—but don’t have the bandwidth for it—schedule a free consultation.

We’ll come have a look at what you’re working with today and what it can be tomorrow.