wildland habitat solutions
Native landscaping
why
native
landscaping?
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What is native landscaping?
Native landscaping is using indigenous plants that are adapted to local climate, soils, and pollinators/wildlife that interact with them. A well planned landscape of native plants, trees and shrubs can help attract a variety of native pollinators and wildlife to your property and contribute to the fight against habitat loss. Our approach towards creating sustainable native landscapes involves promoting a biodiversity of native flowering plants, shrubs, trees and grasses while maintaining an aesthetic look and using methods that reflect natural processes to maintain them.
What sets native landscaping apart from traditional landscaping?
More often than not, plants used in traditional landscaping escape the yards they were planted in and spread beyond property lines. Traditional landscaping typically involves the use of non-native, mat forming grasses to create lawns, ornamental shrubs and vines that do not belong in our ecosystem, provide nothing for native pollinators and wildlife, and most importantly escape the yard and become invasive! The degradation of our local wilderness areas are a direct result of using non-native plants that later escape their intended site and outcompete native flora which is leading to the slow extirpation of native habitat. When we choose to landscape with native flora, we can only hope that it will spread beyond the yard and become a part of the local ecosystem and serve as a valuable resource to native wildlife. As an added bonus: there is typically less maintence involved with native landscaping.
What are native plants and what makes them important?
“Native plants have formed symbiotic relationships with native wildlife over thousands of years that offer the most sustainable habitat. A plant is considered native if it has occurred naturally in a particular region, ecosystem, or habitat without human introduction. Native plants help the environment the most when planted in places that match their growing requirements. They will thrive in the soil, moisture and weather of your region. That means less supplemental water and pest problems. Also, they assist in managing rainwater runoff and maintain healthy soil as their root systems are deep and keep soil from being compacted.” - National wildlife federation (https://www.nwf.org/Garden-for-wildlife/about/native-plants)
What are native plugs?
Native plugs are small, rooted, seedling plants that we use for transplanting. The advantage to using native plugs is that you can establish a diverse plant community in weeks instead of months. The seed we use to grow plugs were hand picked from local wilderness areas and other native yards and grown by us!
native landscaping services
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Consultations
Consultations provide a one-on-one walkthrough, covering any questions about your property. We can tell you what tree and plant species are present, weather they are native or invasive and recommendation on management.
Consultations are also a good way for us to see how we can help you and provide estimates on projects.