When my dear husband and I moved to our dream acreage I instantly had a feeling of responsibility. If I am going to have the privilege of living in this beautiful place, I need to be a good custodian. For me that means taking care of the natural ecosystem. We have already disrupted the area with our home, cars, etc. I want to make sure we are giving back as much as we are taking.
If you are in the same mindset, I want to assure you that you can still have a beautiful place while respecting the natural environment. After four years we have a handle on the regular maintenance. We are now ready to start plans that make it our own. I am starting with bringing in more native plants to the flower beds near the house.
Benefits of Native Plants
By researching and planning to focus on native flowers I will be respecting our natural ecosystems and making my maintenance easier. Here ae some benefits to consider.
Provide native nectar for pollinators.
Provide food source for native wildlife.
Save water.
Reduce the need for chemicals like fertilizers and pesticides.
Reduce loss from weather damage.
Stabilize the soil.
Native Flowers
There are many attractive native flowers. The below is the top 5 list I’m considering as they do well in zone four.
If you are interested in using native plants but do not know where to source them, reach out to your local nursery. These plants are not likely to be found at your big box stores garden centers. I have received great support from our local nurseries when I explain I am trying to place more native plants at my home. You may also want to check with your local library. Some places have a Seed Library where people donate seeds to encourage native plants and even vegetable gardens.
When planting consider your layout. We have three dogs and many horses nearby. While Columbine is one, we are planning to plant we will not be planting it in a place that the dogs or horses can access. We also enjoy gardening. And like many others we try to keep the rabbits and deer from destroying our plants. We will be using Spiderwort and Bloodroot far from the garden.