Why Native Plants?

Why native plants?  That’s a very important question.  Given our deteriorating ecosystems and declining bird and insect populations from human activity, we need to step up and help Nature repair the damage. 

Natives are beautiful, easy to grow, support a healthy ecosystem, create habitat, provide food and shelter for bees, birds, butterflies and other pollinators, don’t require maintenance, have deep root systems, conserve water, protect soil from erosion, and offer many hours of delight as you commune with the wildlife visitors to your garden.  What’s not to love about natives?

There is a ground swell of awareness taking place all across the country, as evidenced by Homegrown National Park and Pollinator Pathway maps.  Many people are waking up to the fact that native plants are desirable, and Transition Town Greater Media’s (TTGM) Biodiversity Group is leading that awakening in Media, PA.  Our group focuses on education, awareness raising and collaborating with other groups.  Check out our library of information and our brochure.  When we discovered that native plant nurseries were having a hard time keeping up with the demand, we created a native plant seed library for our community at Media Upper Providence Free Library.

Planning your garden

When planning your garden, it’s essential to start with keystone native plants, since they are the most important sources of food for pollinators and other insects. 

But pollinators are not the only wildlife that benefit from native plants–birds do too.  Be sure to plant some native shrubs with birds in mind.  Birds eat berries in the winter, so consider planting shrubs like winterberry holly, America holly, Elderberry, American beautyberry, red-osier dogwood, viburnum, serviceberry, and inkberry.

Do you have room for a tree or two on your property?  If you do, you can increase the value of your property for wildlife by adding an oak, black cherry, willow, beech, birch, tulip poplar, or hickory.  Check out the best native trees for your area at National Wildlife Native Plants Finder. 

We are proving in Media Borough and surrounding communities that together we can make a difference in protecting biodiversity.  Will you join us? Contact us at [email protected].