So, you’ve heard about native plants and want to add some to your yard. Perhaps you’re looking to support birds, bees, butterflies, and other pollinators, or simply want to help the environment. Making a difference has never been easier! You might think all you have to do is head to the nearest nursery and ask for “native plants.” Unfortunately, it isn’t always that simple. A plant labeled “native” isn’t necessarily native to Cape Cod. Furthermore, you might find a flower at the store that looks completely different from the one you saw in a guidebook.
Getting started can feel frustrating, but fear not! I’ve compiled a list of definitions to clear up the confusion. With this knowledge, you’ll be ready to choose the right plants for your yard and maximize the ecological impact of your homegrown habitat.
Native Plants
A native plant is one that has historically grown wild in a specific region since pre-colonial times. These plants co-evolved with local wildlife and are the best at supporting them by providing food, shelter, and places to raise their young.
The tricky part is how you define your “region.” At local nurseries, you may see plants labeled as “native,” but this often just means they are native to North America—a massive area. A plant native to the U.S. isn’t necessarily native to New England, Massachusetts, or Cape Cod. If you buy a generic “native” plant, you might accidentally end up with a species from the West Coast or the Southern states.
I choose to follow the guidelines of the Association to Preserve Cape Cod (APCC), which considers only plants native to Barnstable County to be “true” Cape Cod natives. While you can decide where to draw your own line, evidence suggests that the more local a plant is, the more likely it is to thrive, maintain its longevity, and provide ecological value to local wildlife and ecosystems. One great example of a “true” Cape Cod native is Oenothera biennis, also known as Common Evening Primrose.
Non-native Plants
Once you’ve chosen your focus area—whether it’s your county, state, or a wider region, like New England—plants from that area are your “natives.” Everything else is technically non-native. For my yard, any plant not native to Barnstable County is considered non-native.
While there are exceptions, the general rule is: the farther a plant is from its home region, the less ecological value it likely provides to your local habitat. For example, the popular Echinacea purpurea (Purple Coneflower) is not native to Cape Cod—it hails from the Midwest and Southeast. However, it still provides nectar, pollen, and seeds for local wildlife.
Contrast that with the many Hydrangeas we see on Cape Cod. Most are from Europe or Asia and are often sterile, meaning they offer no nectar or pollen; they are essentially just “pretty.” Both are non-native, but there is a big difference: the Coneflower is at least native to our continent and provides some ecological value, while many Hydrangeas do not. It’s not an absolute rule that “farther is worse,” but it is an important factor to consider when weighing the pros and cons of adding (or keeping) a non-native plant in your yard.
Near-native Plants
Near-native plants are not native to Barnstable County, but they originate from nearby regions and often thrive on Cape Cod while providing significant ecological value. These plants are native to other counties in Massachusetts, New England, or the Atlantic Coastal Pine Barrens ecoregion (more on that in my next blog post!).
An excellent example of a near-native plant is Monarda punctata (Spotted Bee Balm), which thrives in the dry, sandy soils common to our Cape Cod landscape.
Invasive Plants
An invasive plant is a non-native species that spreads aggressively beyond where it was originally planted. These plants “escape” cultivation in many ways: birds and wildlife eat their fruit and disperse the seeds far and wide, or the plants spread via wind and runners like rhizomes (underground) or stolons (above ground).
What’s the big deal? These plants are space-takers. They keep spreading until they displace the native plants our ecosystem relies on. Most of these invasives provide little to no ecological value and actually drain resources from wildlife and humans alike.
For example, I’m currently removing Hedera helix (English Ivy) from my backyard bit by bit. This plant can kill trees and cause structural damage to buildings—it is a formidable foe. Whenever I watch a post-apocalyptic zombie movie where buildings are swallowed by vines, it is usually English Ivy – this scenario is super plausible (minus the zombies).
It is important to remember, though, that these plants were introduced and continue to be spread by people; the plants themselves aren’t “evil,” they are just doing what they do best. It is our job to manage and remove them to give our native species a fighting chance.
Aggressive Plants
When a non-native plant spreads rampantly, we call it “invasive.” When a native plant does it, we call it “aggressive.” (Both terms are a bit mean to plants, in my opinion, but they are the industry standards). If you’re looking to add native plants to your yard, find this information ahead of time—meaning before you put it in the ground. You want to ensure you put the plant in the right place where it has room to grow, fill in, and provide habitat. An example of a somewhat “aggressive” native plant is Pycnanthemum muticum (Mountain Mint), which spreads through rhizomes to create colonies. I have this plant in three different places and I have cleared out room for it to spread. In fact, I am looking forward to it, because it provide copious amounts of nectar for insects making it a pollinator magnet. It is the most popular and busiest plant in my garden in the summer and it is by far my favorite native plant. I often tell it (yes, I talk to my plants), to “go free, my friend!”
Exotic Plants
This is a synonym for non-native. It just means a plant that was brought to a region from far away by humans because of its aesthetics without regards to ecological function.
Plants that provide Ecological Value
My next blog post will cover more terms you should know, but for now, this is the most important thing I think you need to consider when you’re looking to add a plant to your home habitat: does it provide ecological value? Don’t get lost in the weeds (get it?) about whether a plant is a “true” native or near-native, etc., but shoot for it being native enough. Yes, the more local the better, but unless you are doing a restoration on a wildlife reserve or something, you can play around and try things and see what works for you, in your little corner of the world. Get to know your soil, study how much sun you get, and then put the right plant in the right place. Yes, look for plants that provide food, shelter, and/or places to raise young but also plants you ACTUALLY like and would enjoy seeing grow and bloom. I’ll write more about this in a future blog, but the accepted recommendation is to strive for a 70-30 ratio in favor of native plants.
So, start little by little and work towards having at least 70% of your plants and trees be native, near-native, or at least non-native plants that provide great ecological value. Once you know the rules, you will know when it’s ok to break them. Here’s an example of rule-breaking: Penstemon digitalis (Foxglove Beardtongue). This non-native plant is found in regions just outside of New England, but all native plant nerds in New England plant it because it supports specialists bees, it’s a host plant, it provides food for birds, and it is drought, salt, rabbit, and deer-resistant. APCC recommends it, and so does Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation and the Gegear Lab at UMASS Dartmouth.
Right now, while our Cape Cod gardens are sleeping, is the perfect time to dream and plan. Take a walk through your yard this week and try to identify one “pretty” but sterile plant you’d be willing to swap for something with more ecological value. Check out my plant profiles here for some inspiration.
Check out Part 2:
We’ll dive deeper into Cultivars, Straight species, ecoregions, and ecotypes!
Happy Garden-planning!
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