WINNEMUCCA - Filling your lawn or garden with exotic plants may seem like the key to a beautiful lawn or garden, but native plants will yield far better results.
Eric Baxter, a former botanical technician for the U.S. Forest Service, described several of the benefits of native plants.
"One of the reasons that natives are preferred for landscaping is that there is no risk of inadvertently releasing a new noxious weed into the surrounding landscape," he explained. "A number of our noxious weeds were originally introduced as agricultural or landscaping plants."
Baxter also recommends native plants as a method of keeping costs under control.
"Native plants also offer the potential to reduce the need for irrigation in landscaping, provided the native plants selected for use are specifically adapted to the environment in which they are planted. Utah juniper, for instance, would require little or no irrigation beyond what occurs naturally," he said.
Baxter also sees using native plants as a way to provide a habitat for local animals, such as butterflies and bees, and as a means of promoting our area's culture.
"There is a cultural benefit to working with native plants, as the practice encourages interest in and knowledge of the native plants that occur within a certain locality," he said. "Many native plants have been used historically by native peoples and early settlers, and there is a cultural value in retaining knowledge of these practices. For instance, Golden Currant is excellent in jellies, desserts or wines. Elderberry, Bitter Cherry, and Rose are other species that were prized by local natives and early settlers. Some of these native products are uniquely flavored and are worthy of rediscovery in modern cuisine."
While Baxter supports using native plants, he stresses the importance of educating oneself before bringing anything home. Purchasing native plants may bring with it the added expertise of the nursery owner or manager, but Baxter cautioned buyers to make sure the plants they choose are truly native to the area they will be planted.
"Wild collection of native plants is also an option but should be done responsibly," he said. "Some plants transplant exceedingly poorly, and digging them usually results in the death of the plant. Other plants require many years of development before they become reproductive and are rarely found in large numbers. Some plants have relationships with other native plants or fungi, and suffer if they are removed from an environment that allows for these relationships. Plants that grow very slowly, or are uncommon, should be grown from seeds or cuttings, with the parent plant left in the wild to allow for the species to continue. When collecting seed from native plants in a certain area, it is always a good idea to leave at least thirty per cent of the seed behind. Many plants can be transplanted from the wild, and/or are easy to grow from seeds or cuttings. Local wild material is often superbly adapted for the garden. Many plants produce seed prolifically, and collection of a small handful of seed is all that is needed to produce plants."
Baxter further cautioned anyone gathering plants to be aware of and obey all laws concerning plant cultivation.
Once all necessary research is done it is time to choose the plants that are right for your property and plan your space.
Local gardener Teresa Howell offered some ideas and tips for creating a beautiful outdoor space that blends in with the local landscape. Howell recommends ordering plants from a nursery rather than cultivating them yourself.
"You can't just dig them up and put them in the ground and expect them to establish," she explained. "A lot of them are prone to shock. You have to water them every other day at first."
Howell offered some suggestions for those who are not sure what to plant.
"Buffalo Grass is a native short grass from the great plains," she said. "It is a little dusty looking so it will not look good next to your neighbor's Kentucky Blue Grass lawn, but it will look good next to the desert." Howell described Buffalo Grass as easy to maintain.
"It will never be dense like sod, but it will fill itself in and it only grows five or six inches long, so you don't need to mow it. Another option is Indian Rice Grass. It has a fine, beautiful blade to it that is prettier than the plushest green lawns."
Howell added some ideas for adding flowers and trees, noting that in some cases she recommends cousins of plants native to the area or plants found in other parts of the southwest that are well suited to the conditions here.
"Desert Four o clock is a flower found by LasVegas.It has a good smell. It is perhaps the most underused plant in this world," she said. "It needs a period of chill in order to sprout, but it will smother out weeds. If you happen to like a large patch of purple in your yard, and you hate weeding, you want to plant this." Howell also suggested Agastache, Purple Sage, and Apache Plume for flowers and Mountain Mahogany and Pinyon Pine for trees. She advised taking shading into consideration, but noted that most native plants and cousins of native plants can be arranged according to taste.
"I take the pots and set them around and see how they're going to look good," she said. "I try to use a curve to approximate nature, but they can be arranged according to what you like."
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