Landscaping With Native Plants To Ward Off Invasives .

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Landscaping with Native Plants toWard Off Invasives & Benefit WildlifeA HOMEOWNER’S GUIDE

Preventing Secondary Invasions:NATIVE LANDSCAPINGfor residential & commercial sitesCardinal flower (red), woodland sunflower (yellow) , Echinacea (pink), and snakeroot (white), LakeCountyIL.govHomeowners play a critical role in the fight against invasive plant species, which spread aggressively and harm theenvironment, economy, and sometimes human health. This series of informational flyers is intended to help landownersestablish attractive native plant landscapes, particularly after or during invasive plant removal.Public-Private PartnershipOver the last 150 years, conversion of forests, prairies, andwetlands has forever altered these ecosystems. In Illinois, forexample, less than .01% of land is undisturbed by people.1These changes, together with increased global trade, haveallowed invasive plants to proliferate. Collectively, invasivespecies are considered the second largest threat to biodiversitybehind habitat loss.About 88%2 of all land in the Northeast3 is in private ownership,though the amount by state varies from 63–99%. Invasiveplants don’t respect property lines, so addressing infestationsand ecosystem health on public land alone will not get the jobdone. Private landowners are absolutely critical partners in thework to control and prevent the spread of invasive species andrebuilt habitat for our treasured native species. To facilitatepublic-private partnerships, the US Forest Service (USFS) andGreat Lakes Restoration Initiative support Cooperative InvasiveSpecies Management Areas (CISMAs)4 – sometimes calledCWMAs or PRISMs. CISMAs work with private landowners tosupport invasive plant treatment.Why Plant Natives?To minimize new infestations or secondaryinvasions. Most invasive plant seeds lovenaked soil. If soil is left disturbed followinginvasive plant removal, return of invasivesis likely. The solution? Planting desirable,and preferably native, plants in their place.To plan for success. Removing invasiveplants gives property owners a chance tothink about their top priorities for theirlandscape. Should it provide shade?Privacy? Reduced flooding? Lowmaintenance? Food for birds, bees orbutterflies? These goals are achievable withgood planning and the right plant selection.To be part of the solution! Habitat for nativebirds and wildlife is dwindling. Your gardencan provide resources for critters, fight offinvasive weeds, and look fabulous all at once!Native Plants vs. Invasive SpeciesNative plants evolved over thousands of years in a particular region orecosystem. They are adapted to the local climate and soil conditions, andoften require fewer inputs like fertilizer and irrigation compared to nonnative plants. Properly selected and installed native plants are highlycompetitive, ornamental without being weedy, and attract beneficialinsects and pollinators.Native coral honeysuckle. Clair Ryan, MIPN.orgOnly a fraction of native speciesare commonly planted, resultingin misconceptions about theirsuitability for use in landscaping.Dense, native-forward landscaping is the best protectionagainst invasive plants taking hold.Invasive plants are non-native, able to thrive in a variety of conditions,grow quickly, and spread to the point of disrupting plant communitiesor ecosystems. When planning your landscaping, if you cannot workentirely with native species, it is critical that you avoid the dozens ofinvasive plants that are still popular in trade, such as burning bush,Callery pear, and wintercreeper.5IMPORTANCE OF NATIVE LANDSCAPING SITE-APPROPRIATE SPECIES NATIVE PLANT SOURCES INSTALLATION EXPECTATIONS & MAINTENANCE

Preventing Secondary Invasions:SITE-APPROPRIATE SPECIESfor residential & commercial sitesEvery gardener learns that, to succeed, you have to put theright plant in the right location. Matching climate suitabilityand nutrient, light, and moisture availability relative to theplants’ needs are all key starting points. It is also critical tochoose plants that are likely to meet your goals for the site.Plan it out. All plants used for landscaping require soil,water and light - that’s a no brainer. However, different plantspecies have different requirements. For example, somespecies, like blue-flag iris (Iris versicolor) are adapted to life insaturated organic soils. Plant it in a sandy, dry soil and it is notlikely to thrive. Conversely, wild lupine (Lupine perennis),needs a well drained soil. Plant it in muck or clay, and it willprobably die. Therefore, you need a strong understanding ofyour site characteristics before selecting plant species. Overtime, a lot of this can be gleaned through careful observation: Is there ever standing water?Is the soil dry in peak summer throughout the root zone?Is the soil dark, medium, or light in color?How many hours of direct sunlight each day?What is your USDA hardiness zone?7How many inches of rain per month are typical?8To investigate the fine details of your soil, like nutrient levels,acidity, density, etc., and for recommendations on how tocorrect any problems, mail a sample to your state’s land grantuniversity soil lab or a private accredited soil lab that acceptssamples from the public. Unfortunately, home soil test kitsare generally not reliable.Getting started on a species list:If you have a local native plant nursery ornative plant society, that’s a great place to beginlearning from others and developing your vision.It may also be worth getting in touch with yourstate botanist (usually employed by the departmentof natural resources or natural history survey)or a land-grant university extension specialist.Some state agencies and extension programs haveguides and plant lists online to help citizenswith native landscaping.“Chances are you never thought of your garden –indeed, all of your property – as a wildlifepreserve that presents the last chance we havefor sustaining plants and animals that were oncecommon throughout the U.S. But that is exactlythe role our suburban landscapes are playing."- Principles of Ecological Landscape Design6Know your wants and needs. Beyond what theyneed to survive, native plant species vary dramatically interms of mature height and spread, maintenancerequirements, rate of growth, bloom period, flower color,fragrance, and wildlife benefits. If one of your primarygoals is to prevent regrowth of invasive plants or weeds,you may want to look for native species with a fast rate ofgrowth that will form dense cover relatively quickly.However, if you have a small space or prefer a refinedgarden look, plants with large expected height or spreadmay not be the right choices. Thoughtful plant grouping,massing, and placement also contribute to a tidy look. Ifyou want color year-round, it will be important to choose amixture of spring, summer, and fall blooming species.Variety is the spice of your garden. There are afew species that have become ubiquitous in native plantlandscaping. These species typically have attractive flowersand grow under a broad range of conditions. It’s okay togrow these species, especially if they are historically nativeto your location and native ecotype material is available(see next page), but also try to include species that are lesscommon to add diversity and conservation benefits.Maintenance matters. Gardeners sometimes thinkthat native plant gardens look untidy or unkempt. Inreality, a native planting can look as manicured as youwant it to if you’re willing to put in the work deadheading,weeding, pruning, providing support to plants with atendency to bow over, dividing plants, mulching, andreplacing dead or diseased plants. No garden looks like acalendar page without a lot of work! If you don’t mind amore natural look, insects and other critters utilize deadstanding plant material during the fall and winter.Butterfly milkweed with a milkweed beetle, Martin LaBar via flickr.comAbove: Goldenrods and asters bloom in fall, Clair Ryan, MIPN.orgIMPORTANCE OF NATIVE LANDSCAPING SITE-APPROPRIATE SPECIES NATIVE PLANT SOURCES INSTALLATION EXPECTATIONS & MAINTENANCE

Preventing Secondary Invasions:NATIVE PLANT SOURCESfor residential & commercial sitesFalse blue indigo in pots, Audubon Society of Western PennsylvaniaResearcher Dr. Douglas Tallamy challenges the notion that human and natural habitats are fundamentally separate.9 Whenwe garden with plants that are historically native to the places we live, our gardens can provide food and shelter for nativebirds, butterflies, and other wildlife. Native plant gardens can provide vital way stations and corridors between distant naturepreserves. This flyer is intended to help landowners find sources of native plant material to incorporated in their landscapes,particularly after invasive plant removal, to prevent re-invasion.Choose Vendors Wisely A reputable vendor will provide appropriate native plants for your landscape AND theinformation needed to succeed. Vendors dealing exclusively with native plants and locally owned and operated nurseriesare more apt to carry a wide variety of properly labeled native stock. Local nature preserves, botanical gardens, and soil &water conservation organizations may host annual native plant sale events that are great for stocking up. Big box storesand online retailers may offer stock from outside your region or worse, may sell known invasive species. However, in somecases, buying online may be the only viable option. Look for a reputable nursery closest to your physical location that willship to you, and avoid large, generally un-vetted online marketplaces (eBay, Etsy, Amazon Marketplace, Facebook, etc.).Many state agencies and conservation organizations maintain lists of native plant nurseries and vendors.To help centralize these resources for the Midwest, USFS funded the development of a regional directorythat can be accessed here: www.mipn.org/cwma-resources/site-revegetation/. County extension officesand native plant societies may have additional sources.Choose Seeds/Stock WiselyInsist on quality control/contamination testing. Invasiveplant seeds can be really tiny andcan be spread from place to place asa contaminant in seed mixes. Whenbuying native plant seeds, askvendors how they test forcontaminants. Also, beware ofgeneric wildflower and pollinatormixes, which often includeinvasive species.Where is this seed from?How was it tested forcontaminants?A pure live seed rating is auseful indicator that a seedmix has been quality-tested.Untangling cultivars. Native plantcultivars (“nativars”) have beenpurposefully bred, usually toenhance an aesthetic feature such asflower color, leaf color, plant size,etc. The issue is that cultivars arealmost never studied to see if theyprovide the same wildlife benefits asthe original species. That said, somecultivars are bred specifically toresist disease, which is beneficial.Nursery staff should be able to tellyou why a cultivar is being offered.Give preference to local ecotypeplant stock. Wild growing plantsadapt to their environment overtime and develop a unique geneticprofile known as a local ecotype.10 Ifyou can buy local ecotype plants,they will likely thrive where you areand will provide optimal benefits tolocally co-adapted pollinators andwildlife. Local ecotype planting alsohelps preserve genetic diversityamong native species.What are the features ofthis cultivar?Where do you obtainpropagation stock?Cultivars are indicated by aname in single quotes on aplant tag (e.g. Coreopsis‘Moonbeam’).Buy as local as possible!If locally adapted material isnot available, look for plantsgrown south of your location.If a vendor cannot or will not answer these questions,or sells known invasive species, consider purchasing elsewhere.IMPORTANCE OF NATIVE LANDSCAPING SITE-APPROPRIATE SPECIES NATIVE PLANT SOURCES INSTALLATION EXPECTATIONS & MAINTENANCE

Preventing Secondary Invasions:INSTALLATIONfor residential & commercial sitesBee balm (left), pale Echinacea (front) and queen-of-the-prairie (back), Karen Hartlep, indiananativeplants.orgIf you’ve painted your home before, you know that preparation work far exceeds painting time, but is necessary toachieve quality results. It is much the same with installing native plants or seeds. If you follow the steps below, you willhave a greater chance of establishing healthy native plants and warding off invasive species (re-)infestations.Correcting Soil ProblemsThe ideal soil for the greatest number of native plant species is noncompacted, well drained with organic material and a neutral to slightly alkalinepH. If your soil is not like this, you will need to think about either carefullyselecting plant species well-suited for the soil you have or correcting problems.Unfortunately, the process of building residential and commercialdevelopments often leaves soils compacted and stripped of topsoil. If this isthe case at your site, consider using a tiller or hand equipment to break upcompacted soil, and either adding a layer of organic-rich topsoil or mixingcompost or composted manure into heavy clay soils. However, make sure yoursource for soil and compost has processes in place to prevent weed seedcontamination! Tilling is not recommended for relatively healthy soil as it canencourage weed growth.University of Minnesota ExtensionTiming is EverythingIf you are working with live plants, your planting windows are limited to midto-late spring (after last risk of frost), and early fall (before first risk of frost).If seeding, you will have more flexibility as high summer (July and August) isthe only time generally considered off-limits. Seeding in fall or even into thewinter before snow cover is called a dormant seeding. Here, the seed is notexpected to germinate until the following spring. Seeds used for springplanting should be stratified as necessary for germination in the sameseason as planting (see below).Purdue University ExtensionStratifying SeedsMost native plant seeds go through a dormant period after they are shedfrom their parent plant. Exposure to weather and soil conditions,particularly freeze-thaw cycles and dry-moist cycles, typically breaks thisdormancy, though some species require fire or animal action to germinate.The preparation of seeds for germination, either outdoors or purposefully ina controlled environment is called stratification.Dormant season planting will typically allow seeds to stratify outdoors. Ifplanning spring seeding, you will need to stratify the seeds indoors througha combination of dry and moist storage. Some vendors sell pre-stratifiedseed and all native seed vendors should provide species-specificstratification guidance. Seeding species with multi-year stratificationperiods is not a good strategy in locations where re-establishment ofinvasive plants or weeds is a strong concern. Use of nursery-grown plantsmay be a better choice for species that are difficult to grow from seed.USDA Forest ServiceIMPORTANCE OF NATIVE LANDSCAPING SITE-APPROPRIATE SPECIES NATIVE PLANT SOURCES INSTALLATION EXPECTATIONS & MAINTENANCE

Planting PracticesWhether sowing seed or installing live plants, maximizing seed or rootcontact with the soil is the name of the game. Once seeds or plants areinstalled, water thoroughly and keep moist during the next several weeks.Seeding In general, seed should be covered no deeper than its owndiameter, as planting too deeply can inhibit germination. Most nativeperennial plant seeds do best at about ½-inch depth of planting, whilegrass seeds do better at about ¼-inch. Generally, scattering the seeds onthe soil surface and using a hand-rake to incorporate them does the trick.If the soil is very loose before planting (e.g., if you sink more than ½-inchwhen you step on it), you may want to pack the soil down with your feet, agarden roller or other tamping equipment both before and immediatelyafter seeding.11Transplanting If using nursery-grown plants, the key is to make surethe transplan

grow quickly, and spread to the point of disrupting plant communities or ecosystems. When planning your landscaping, if you cannot work entirely with native species, it is critical that you avoid the dozens of invasive plants that are still popular in trade, such as burning bush, Callery pear, and wintercreeper.

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