Ohio gardeners go native

The push is on for Ohio gardeners to go native – with plants, trees and shrubs that is. In fact, there is so much written about native plants these days that it almost seems "unOhioan" not to plant these plants. There are several reasons scientists, ecologists and educators are encouraging Ohio residents to consider planting all or at least some native plants in their gardens. With large portions of the state developed for agriculture, cities and suburbs, this has left fragmented habitat for birds, bees, butterflies, insects and mammals. Exotic plants (not native to Ohio) have escaped from gardens and caused serious damage to natural area and preserves, according to experts. Some of these plants are multiflora rose, bush honeysuckle, garlic mustard, Russian olive, privet, Japanese honeysuckle and dame's rocket. Other reasons include: lawns and bark-mulched landscapes require fertilizers which can be detrimental to humans as well as wildlife; non-native plants threaten native plants and animal species; and, several non-native plants are causing serious damage to natural areas and preserves. Home gardens appear to be one of the last bastions for preserving "native" Ohio. Reasons cited for planting native Ohio plants include: low maintenance once the plants are established; many native plants have beautiful flowers; produce fruits and seeds which are essential foods for wildlife; spring and fall colors add to the landscape; native plants adapt to local environmental conditions thereby requiring less water; provide habitat for wildlife; hummingbirds, bees, and bats, butterflies and moths are dependent on native plants for nectar; and provide shelter for many mammals. Gardeners are encouraged to determine soil conditions and amounts of sunlight when mapping out beds for planting native plants. Mimic a forest structure by planting a variety of trees to serve as a canopy and fruit baring shrubs of varying shapes and sizes. Plants should be chosen that provide habitat or resources at different times of the year. Some native conifers are common juniper, eastern red cedar, white pine and Canadian yew. Examples of native deciduous trees include black, red and silver maple, Ohio buckeye, red bud, flowering dogwood, American beech, sweetbay magnolia, eastern cottonwood, black cherry, scarlet, red and black oak. Examples of shrubs are burning bush, elderberry, maple-leaf viburnum, cockspur, thicket and Washington hawthorn, common ninebark, spice bush, blackhaw viburnum, running strawberry bush, winterberry, and nannyberry. Black-eyed Susan, blue wild indigo, butterfly weed, button blazing star, cardinal flower, common milkweed, tall ironweed, Jacob's ladder, New England Aster, purple coneflower, rose milkweed, royal catchfly and wild strawberry are all examples of native Ohio flowering plants. Places to visit to see native Ohio plants include Holden Arboretum in northeast Ohio, Cox Arboretum near Dayton, Cedar Bog Nature Preserve near Urbana, Oak Openings Preserve (part of the Toledo Metroparks system) and Spring Grove Cemetery near Cincinnati. More and more nurseries are selling native Ohio plants. Gardeners are cautioned to buy plants from nurseries that are inspected by the Ohio Department. When purchasing plants off the internet it is recommended that the buyer specifythe source, because the plants could be carrying diseases or insects. In some areas, wildflower rescue groups collect native plants from sites destined for development and look for people willing to take them. There are also native plants societies and conservancies. For those who are interested in joining in the "go native" movement, experts caution deer and other wildlife love to eat the plants.