The popularity of using native plants for residential and commercial landscaping has grown in recent years. Incorporating them in landscape design comes with a wide range of benefits thanks to their ability to conserve water, promote biodiversity, support local wildlife, reduce maintenance, and more. Now, it’s easier than ever to create stunning landscapes that not only look beautiful but also help the environment.
Salvias are drought-tolerant and do well in full sun.
Adapted for the Climate
Native plants typically have fewer maintenance needs as these flowers, trees, and shrubs have, over time, adapted to not only survive but thrive in our regional climate. As a rule, native plants are more weather- and drought-resistant. This helps reduce the amount of human intervention required to keep them alive and flourishing, and less time and money spent replacing dead or diseased plantings on a regular basis.
The K-State Turf and Landscape Management department predicts that this past spring’s wet conditions will lead to many plants undergoing drought responses this summer, especially given the summer season’s typically lower amounts of rainfall. Plantings unable to handle higher temperatures and lower rainfall will struggle to survive the summer. However, native plants are already acclimated to these conditions and weather patterns, giving them a correspondingly higher probability of survival.
Coneflowers are a popular native plant used in local landscaping – and they are available in a wide variety of colors!
Save Water
Water conservation has a double impact. Saving water is good for the environment and it helps keep monthly utility bills low – making this a win-win for all concerned. Native plants require much less water than their non-native/exotic cousins. Many of the more exotic plants on the market come from more tropical areas of origin and are accustomed to heavier year-round rainfall patterns. Native plants also tend to have much deeper root systems, allowing them to naturally access more hydration in the soil.
Tip: Use a variety of native plants in your landscaping with blooming seasons in spring, summer, and fall to provide pollinators with the most benefits.
Support Local Wildlife
Local wildlife flourishes among an abundance of native vegetation. A wide variety of animals seek out native plants for both food and shelter – especially pollinators, some of the most essential members of any ecosystem. Natural pollinators (like bumble bees, butterflies, and moths), feed on native plants, which are invaluable to migration and reproduction.
Many of the innate qualities native plants have acquired for self-preservation have eliminated the need for pesticides – pesticides that can be quite harmful to pollinators and many other helpful insects.
Preserving Biodiversity
In addition to helping local wildlife, native plants promote biodiversity. They help prevent the spread of non-native species, which tend to be extremely invasive and highly disruptive—disastrous, even—to local ecosystems and other plants and grasses. Native plants also enhance soil health because they do not require fertilizer, and they improve water quality by enhancing water infiltration.
Heinen’s Online Plant Catalog makes it easy to find a variety of plants perfect for your home or business!
Choosing the Right Native Plants
There are dozens of native plants to consider when designing a landscape plan. The outdoor living experts at Heinen have made planting decisions easier through the creation of a handy—and free— online tool: the Heinen Online Plant Catalog!
Access the Online Plant Catalog to browse nearly 200 different plantings, many native to Missouri and Kansas. In addition to a reference photo, each listing includes helpful information, such as sun or shade preference, blooming season, full growth size, and much, much more. With the Online Plant Catalog, just about every detail necessary for building a thoughtful, enduring, and beautiful landscape plan can easily be found in one place.
Ready to get started on a landscape upgrade that incorporates more native plants? The Heinen team is here to help! Heinen’s landscape design and maintenance expertise has made them the top choice in outdoor planning and design for homeowners and businesses throughout the Kansas City area for over 35 years.
