How to Grow Native Plants

Native plants are desirable landscape plants because they’re simple to grow and maintain. After introducing a native plant to your garden, keep it watered until it is established, and it rarely will need additional water or fertilizer. Contact your state’s Native Plant Society or similar organizations to find out which plants are indigenous to your area.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Compost
• Shovel or trowel
• Plants or seeds

1. Find an appropriate location for the plant in your garden. For example, if your plant is a tree that will grow as tall as your house, keep that in mind and allow plenty of space around it. Consider also how much shade it will cast when it’s mature and what other plants will occupy spaces in the same environment.

2. Dig a hole about twice as wide as the pot your plant is in, but not much deeper.

3. Dig in some compost or peat moss. Using your shovel or a spading fork, mix the amendment into the bottom of the hole like you’re tossing a salad.

4. Add compost or the soil that you have just dug out to stabilize your plant in the hole without crowding the roots or causing the top of the soil in the pot to sit above the top of the hole. You can set the plant, still in its pot, directly into the hole to get an idea of how much soil to add.

5. Gently remove your plant from its pot. Don't disturb the plant’s delicate root system more than necessary. If any large roots are circling around the pot and confining smaller roots, loosen them gently.

6. When your plant is out of the pot, loosen the root ball by gently squeezing the clump of soil that holds the roots. If you skip this step, your plant might keep its roots bound into the pot-shaped clump. This will stunt its growth. Freeing the roots gives the plant a head start in its new home.

7. Place your plant into the hole you have just dug. Center it and check that the top of the soil from the pot is level with the top of the hole, or perhaps a little lower. Backfill should consist of at least 50 percent compost. Hold your plant in place while you gently shovel or scoop the dirt you have just dug out back into the hole. Put a little soil in the hole. gently pat it down, and then repeat this process until the hole is full.

8. Water your new plant thoroughly and check it regularly to make sure it stays damp, but not soggy, until you see new growth appearing. Don’t let it dry out completely until it’s at least six months old. After that, most native plants do not need more water than the rain naturally provides.

9. Optional: Pound a stake into the ground a few inches from your plant and tie it loosely with a piece of cloth or plastic nursery tape. You might also want to build a small fence around your plant to protect it from pets and other critters.

Tips & Warnings

• A good time to transplant young plants into your garden is in the late afternoon — this gives them a chance to adjust to their surroundings in the cooler hours of the day and overnight, rather than stressing them by planting them in the burning sun.
• Do not plant native plants in ground that is denser than potting soil. Well-drained soil is important for most native plants.
• If your plant might be attacked by snails or slugs, protect it by using a commercial product, a copper barrier or diatomaceous earth.
• Do not use redwood compost, as it is too acidic for the natives.
• Don't leave a pit around the plant, thinking that will help water from running off. This practice is only appropriate for plants that need an infrequent deep soaking, such as tomatoes.