Fall is here, but that doesn’t mean it’s time to stop thinking about the plants that go into your yard. In fact, fall is the perfect time to get many trees into the ground.
So we wanted to take a moment to encourage you to think about using native plants and trees in your landscaping. Native plants offer many benefits to the average homeowner.
1. Native plants require less maintenance.
Why does the average landscape require so much maintenance? It has a lot to do with the fact that most of the plants that go into the average landscape were never really meant to be here.
Thus, you have to go to great lengths to keep them alive.
The plants grow just fine without our help in wild, untouched areas. That’s because those areas are sprouting plants that are meant to grow there!
There are plenty of fine plants and trees that are native to the Wisconsin area. You don’t have to cut down on the variety and beauty of the plants in your lawn by choosing to “go local” instead of going crazy trying to cultivate, say, a hibiscus plant meant for a tropical climate.
2. Native plants require less water.
Native plants are already adapted to our local rainfall patterns. That means they’re used to receiving as much precipitation as we normally receive, no more, and no less. They’re not likely to die just because you don’t turn the sprinkler system on.
That’s better for you, because you get a lower water bill. It’s also better for the environment, because you use less water and contribute to less stormwater run off. After all, your native plants will happily soak up the water as it enters your lawn…just as they’re meant to.
3. Save money on fertilizer.
Why do we need fertilizer at all? Generally, fertilizer replaces nutrients that plants aren’t finding in the soil. But native plants only need the nutrients that are already in our local soil.
Fertilizer is expensive, and it can be a pollutant in its own right. You won’t miss using it, we promise!
4. Native plants are bird and butterfly friendly.
We’re proud to have 4 of our service area communities recognized as “Bird City USA” communities: Fox Point, Whitefish Bay, Milwaukee, and Shorewood. It’s a lot of fun to install fences in these communities because we get to see dozens of little visitors.
We’d love to see more communities in our service area earn this distinction by adopting bird friendly practices. And while you can’t directly control what your municipality does you can choose to be part of the solution by creating a bird-friendly habitat.
Butterflies are a big concern too. Just remember that most lawns are “ecologically dead” as far as local wildlife is concerned. Which would you rather have…a pretty dead zone? Or a gorgeous, lush live zone where birds greet you with a beautiful song each morning because they’re thankful to be alive and to have a place that welcomes them?
Okay, a little romantic, I’ll grant you that. 🙂 But the team here at A1-Fence certainly appreciates any homeowner who makes a choice to use native plants, and we hope that you’ll consider it if you haven’t already.
