But Do I Have to Give Up My Favorite Plants?
When I first started talking invasive species I raised the ire of at least one neighbor who loved making her wooded lot in the country look like a suburban lot rather than a woodland garden. That’s a taste issue and I’m fine with her having the gardening look she wanted with one exception: she brought in invasive species that have since encroached on our woods.
Now I’m not a native species purist, but I understand the damage invasives can do. In my introduction to the blog I said that while I've become passionate about pollinator gardens and bringing native plants into the landscape I like to mix them with the adaptable plants I love.
Our front yard walkway in summer. It’s a mix of native and adaptable plants.
A quick look at our front yard and you’ll see how I blend natives and adaptable plants. There I’ve got classic native plants like monarda (bee balm) and rudbekia (black-eyed Susan) mixed with spectacular plants like Caesar’s Brother Siberian Iris and Autumn Joy sedum. Elsewhere in the garden you’ll find more native and adaptable plants: lavender for scent (and lots of pollinator activity), some Baptista or False Blue Indigo for early season color and spectacular seed pods, Liatrus for later season color and one of my childhood favorites - Oriental Poppies for bright spring color when I need it most. It’s definitely a mixed garden.
This spring I plan to turn the backyard into a native garden — exclusively native with a focus on pollinators. That gives me a great reason to get rid of the (very invasive) lily of the valley my mother planted years ago - long before anyone talked about invasives and their affect on the environment. As I read more and learn more about native plants sometimes I wonder if I should be planting only natives.
That’s why a recent talk sponsored by the Leelanau Conservation District relieved me of any guilt I was feeling over planting and keeping non-native species in my front yard garden. Presented by Katie Grzesiak of the Northwest Michigan Invasive Species Network and Liana May of Borealis Consulting the evening started with a talk about which non-native species are really an issue to be concerned about.
Invasives to Avoid
Bottom line: plants to be considered invasive and that should be removed fall into one of the following three categories: they hurt people, they hurt the environment or they hurt the economy. According to the presenters that’s a small portion of those plants that have been introduced into the area. I was surprised to find out that only one in 100 introduced species becomes invasive.
If you have any invasive species on your property they it’s probably time for a removal strategy. And, Grzesiak and May warned, the longer you wait, the more the battle takes out of you. And battle it can be. Scott and I do battle with natives each season and we’re about to start again — as soon as the snow lets us out into the garden and the vineyard.
Restoration will be a key part of that battle so we’ll make sure that we have natives ready to put in the empty spaces in the garden and we also have a floor management plan for the vineyard.
As I am selecting the native plants that will replace the undesirables that are in our garden — all planted by others or before we knew better — I find myself with my nose in one of my favorite books for selecting native varieties. It’s Lynn Steiner’s Landscaping with Native Plants of Michigan and it makes the planning process really easy with sections that list native plants by their characteristics or best uses: for example, native plants of the Michigan forests, of sand dunes, deer resistant native plants, plants for mixed borders, plants to attract butterflies and more. I also appreciate Steiner’s profiles of native plants. It definitely makes the decision making process easier for me.
Steiner has great credentials including a bachelor’s degree in natural resources and a master’s degree in horticulture and minor in agricultural journalism. She’s a member of Wild Ones, The Prairie Enthusiasts and the Minnesota State Horticultural Society. On the Steiner homestead she’s working on a restored prairie.
If you’re interested in Steiner’s book there are several ways you can purchase it. You can contact your local independent bookseller or find it on Amazon by following the Buy on Amazon button below the visual of the book’s cover. If you do buy this book by following the link in this article, I may receive a commission.
Note: I'm a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com
Creative and targeted programs that make an impact are the hallmark of experienced marketing professional Ruth Steele Walker. Focusing on results that improve the bottom line, she accelerates projects from conception to implementation with a mastery of writing, production, placement, budgeting and coordination.
During more than 25 years with Foremost Corporation of America, the nation's leading insurer of manufactured housing and recreational vehicles, Walker consistently produced effective communications programs that resulted in increased net written premium. Her expertise in crisis communications was a vital part of Foremost's exemplary customer service in the wake of hurricanes, floods and earthquakes. Walker specializes in communications targeting the 50+ demographic, with an emphasis in communications for the 65+ segment.
Among other achievements, Walker developed communications for the merger of Foremost and Farmers Insurance, addressing audiences including customers, employees, trade and consumer media. For Foremost's 50th anniversary, she created a celebration program of internal and external promotions, special events, recognition and a 162-page commemorative book.
Earlier in her career, Walker was a newspaper reporter, a TV and radio producer, and worked in national sales and traffic at network TV affiliates. Walker earned a BA in journalism from Michigan State University and an MS in communications from Grand Valley State University.
She and her husband Scott operate a small vineyard in Michigan's Leelanau Peninsula, producing premium vinifera wine grapes. The vineyard has been the largest local supplier for Suttons Bay wine label L. Mawby, recently named one of the world's top producers of sparkling wines.
