Advantages of Incorporating Native Shrubs in Landscaping
They cut your water bills‚ feed your local pollinators‚ and survive the Tennessee winters and summers without babying - that’s the short version․ They’ve spent thousands of years adapting to clay and humid summers‚ rather than needing constant soil amending and careful winter protection every year like a lot of non-native ornamentals do․ Here’s what that actually means for your yard․
Less Watering‚ Fewer Dead Plants
Tennessee is mostly USDA hardiness zones 6b through 7b‚ with small zones of 5b above 2000 ft elevation in the Cumberland Plateau and the East Tennessee mountains․ Summer is typically humid with periods of 90-degree weather punctuated with scattered thunderstorms․ Winter may vary‚ switching between mild and hard freeze conditions․ Non-native shrubs often sulk‚ or die during these swings‚ having never evolved with such extremes in their landscape․
Virginia Sweetspire (Itea virginica)‚ Oakleaf Hydrangea and Ninebark have deep roots in the native soil‚ which hold moisture․ After their first full season (12 to 18 months) of rooting down‚ the majority of native shrubs will not require supplemental watering unless under extreme drought conditions‚ perhaps once every 10 to 14 days‚ even in the worst of the month of August․ Compare a Japanese boxwood‚ or a non-native azalea‚ which must be watered every week of their lives and more‚ to look presentable․
They’re Built for Real Wildlife‚ Not Just Looks
Much of the gardening literature about ““attracting pollinators”” is vague․ Here’s the specific version: native shrubs bloom on the exact schedule local insects need‚ because they co-evolved together over thousands of years․
Spicebush (Lindera benzin) hosts spicebush swallowtail caterpillars and provides a place for them to lay eggs if you don’t plant a non-native shrub․ Buttonbush attracts swamp milkweed beetles and native bees to its spherical spiky flowers in July․ Winterberry Holly produces red berries that persist into December and January‚ when other berries have all disappeared‚ making them an important food source for migratory birds such as cedar waxwings and robins․
This isn’t just a nice side effect․ It’s the difference between having a pretty yard and one where you’re actually keeping a small part of the local ecosystem going․ If you have kids‚ it’s also the easiest way to get them interested in the great outdoors without a single screen involved․ Watching a hummingbird work a native honeysuckle is more inspiring than most YouTube videos․
The Money Side: Lower Maintenance Costs
Here’s where native shrubs really separate themselves from the catalog exotics․ Non-native ornamentals require:
* Fungicide or pesticide treatments because local pests and diseases haven’t developed natural controls on their host populations․ * Regular fertilizing because they cannot utilize nutrients as efficiently as the local soil biology Winter-protect‚ wrap‚ or replace after a hard freeze․ * More frequent pruning to obtain a growth pattern or shape adapted to our climate
In addition‚ native shrubs generally do not need most of these amendments to grow well‚ being already naturally adapted to the fungal pathogens produced by the high level of regional humidity in the Southeastern United States‚ and because many of these shrubs (including Ninebark and American Beautyberry) have mycorrhizal partnerships․ Nationwide‚ homeowners will see a 30-40% savings in shrub care over 5 years by going native because they will not spend on fertilizer‚ fungicide‚ or replacement for dying non-natives․
Better Soil‚ Not Just Prettier Yards
This is underappreciated․ The roots of native shrubs don’t merely anchor the plant‚ they rebuild the soil․ The roots of plants‚ as they grow and die‚ leave channels through the soil for percolation and aeration of the subsoil․ This is very important in Middle Tennessee‚ where the predominant soil type is clay․ A stand of native shrubs planted three or four years ago will have created appreciably looser soil than in bare ground or in an area planted with shallow-rooted non-native plants․
Privacy Screening That Actually Grows Right
When creating a screen plant reliable native shrubs rather than fast-growing‚ weak non-natives that often require constant pruning and seedling removal․ Non-native privet often escapes gardens and spreads․ As an alternative‚ a screen of 12- to 36-inch tall Ninebark‚ Elderberry‚ Winterberry Holly‚ set 3 to 4 feet apart will become a dense screen 6 to 8 feet tall in 3 to 4 years․ Native plants typically do not spread․ It also gives you berries and blooms‚ rather than just a flat green wall․
How You Can Determine What Shrubs Will Thrive
One thing a lot of general advice skips: ““native”” doesn’t mean ““plant it anywhere””․ A shrub native to swampy West Tennessee bottomland‚ like Buttonbush‚ would not do well on a dry hillside in East Tennessee․ Something such as Fragrant Sumac is happiest in poor‚ dry‚ rocky soil and would rot if it were planted in soil that stays wet․
Also‚ take an honest look at your location and soil conditions (sun‚ drainage‚ soil type) and choose a shrub that will do well there‚ rather than always assuming that any native plant will do well in any location in the state․ At TN Nursery‚ for example‚ our native shrub selection is organized by growing conditions‚ and all of our plants are grown in conditions replicating what they will experience in Tennessee and the Southeast‚ rather than being shipped cross-country from a grower in a different climate zone․
Getting Started
In general‚ most native Tennessee shrubs should be planted in the fall (October to early December) so that they can establish roots before summer‚ but early spring plantings with good supplemental watering the first summer also work․ The hole is suppose to be twice as wide as the root ball‚ but no deeper‚ and native soil should backfill the hole․ Watering the plant before placing it in the hole will help unbind the roots․ Mulch between 2 and 3 inches (51 and 76 mm) should be placed away from the stem․
Native shrubs take a little longer to establish than fast-growing exotics during Year One but after Year Three‚ you’ll have a shrub that’s tougher‚ cheaper.
