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- 192 pages
- English
- ePUB (mobile friendly)
- Available on iOS & Android
eBook - ePub
Landscaping with Native Plants of Minnesota - 2nd Edition
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About This Book
This new and updated edition of Landscaping with Native Plants of Minnesota combines the practicality of a field guide with all the basic information homeowners need to create an effective landscape design. The plant profiles section includes comprehensive descriptions of approximately 150 flowers, trees, shrubs, vines, evergreens, grasses, and ferns that grew in Minnesota before European settlement, as well as complete information on planting, maintenance, and landscape uses for each plant. The book also includes complete information on how to garden successfully in Minnesota's harsh climate and how to install and maintain an attractive, low-maintenance home landscape suitable for any lifestyle.
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Chapter 1
Understanding
Native Plants
Native Plants
What They Are and How to Use Them
Just what defines a native plant has been debated for many years by many people. A widely accepted definitionâand the one used in this bookâclassifies native plants as those species that grew in an area before European settlementâabout the mid-1800s in the Midwest. By and large, Native Americans lived in harmony with the plants and animals of an area without endangering the natural ecosystems. European settlers, on the other hand, had a major impact on the landscape as they cut down large stands of trees, plowed up acres of prairies, suppressed natural fires, and introduced plants from their homelands and other parts of this ânewâ continent.
Unlike most introduced plants, a native plant fully integrates itself into a biotic community, establishing complex relationships with other local plants and animals. Not only does a native plant depend on the organisms with which it has evolved, but the other organisms also depend on it, creating a true web of life. This natural system of checks and balances ensures that native plants seldom grow out of control in their natural habitats.
âWildflowerâ is a commonly used term, but it does not necessarily mean a native plant, since not all wildflowers are native to an area. Wildflowers include introduced plants that have escaped cultivation and grow wild in areas. Examples are Queen Anneâs lace (Daucus carota) and chicory (Chicorium intybus), two common roadside plants, neither of which is native to any area of the United States.
Introducing new plants is not always a bad thing. Where would we be without tomatoes, potatoes, and wheat? And, itâs hard to find fault with introduced plants as charming and well behaved as lilacs and hostas. However, experience has taught us that the introduction of nonnative plants into an ecosystem is a delicate operation that should be undertaken with care. More and more, we are finding that plants that evolved in other countries, or even other areas of this country, can become too comfortable in landscape situations and threaten native flora. A prime example is purple loosestrife, a European native propagated by nurseries and grown in gardens for years before it was realized that it aggressively invades natural wetlands, crowding out native plants. Buckthorn is another European native that has been widely used as a hedge. Today, it is the bane of any homeowner with a wooded plot and it is running rampant through native woodlands.
Classifying Native Plants
Before you can know and effectively use native plants, you must have a simple knowledge of plant taxonomy. The fundamental category in this book is the species, a group of genetically similar plants within a genus, a larger botanical division. Genus and species names are commonly Latin and italicized, with the genus name coming first in capital letters followed by the species in lower case. Learning Latin names can be frustrating, but it is important. Too many plants share the same or similar common names, and itâs easy to end up with the wrong plantâone that may not even be native to your area. Latin names also offer clues on how to identify a plant. For example, knowing that tomentosus means âdownyâ and laevis means âsmoothâ will help you identify and remember what a plant looks like.
Within a species, there are also subspecies (abbreviated as âssp.â) and varieties (âvar.â). A subspecies has a characteristic that isnât quite different enough to make it a separate species. This characteristic may occur over a wide range or in a geographically isolated area.
Varieties have minor recognizable variations from the species, such as flower size or leaf color, but are not distinct enough to be labeled subspecies. An example is found in Cypripedium calceolus (yellow ladyâs slipper), which is further differentiated into var. pubescens (large yellow ladyâs slipper) and var. parviflorum (small yellow ladyâs slipper). The latter plant is shorter and has a slightly different flower shape and color, but without seeing the two side by side, it can be difficult to tell which one you are looking at.
As native plants become more popular, many horticulturally selected cultivated varieties are being introduced. These âcultivarsâ are usually chosen for certain characteristics such as larger or double flowers, leaf color, compact growth, or flower color, and are propagated by nurseries to maintain the trait. In most cases, these cultivars retain most of the characteristics of the native species and are fine choices for most landscape use. However, if you are doing restoration work, you will want to stick with the species or even the subspecies or variety native to your area to maintain the true genetic diversity youâll only get from the native species.
Benefits of Native Plants
There are many reasons to use native plants, some more tangible than others. For many gardeners, the initial attraction comes from native plantsâ reputation of being lower maintenance than a manicured lawn and exotic shrubs. For the most part this is trueâprovided native plants are given landscape situations that match their cultural requirements. Because they have evolved and adapted to their surroundings, native plants tend to be tolerant of tough conditions such as drought and poor soil. Native plants are better adapted to local climatic conditions and better able to resist the effects of native insects and diseases. Their reduced maintenance results in less dependence on fossil fuels and reduced noise pollution from lawn mowers and other types of equipment.
The less tangibleâbut possibly more importantâside of using native plants is the connection you make with nature. Gardening with natives instills an understanding of our natural worldâits cycles, changes, and history. Communing with nature has a positive, healing effect on human beings. Learning how to work with instead of against nature will do wonders for your spiritual health.
By observing native plants throughout the year, a gardener gains insight into seasonal rhythms and life cycles. You will experience intellectual rewards that are somehow missing if you only grow petunias or marigolds.
Gardening with native plants will help you create a sense of place rather than just a cookie-cutter landscape. Your yard will be unique among the long line of mown grass and clipped shrubs in your neighborhood. A native-plant landscape will blend into the natural surroundings better that those planted with introduced species, and you will get an enormous sense of satisfaction from helping reestablish what once grew naturally in your area. You will see an increase in wildlife, including birds, butterflies, and pollinating insects, making your garden a livelier place.
On a broader scale, using native plants helps preserve the natural heritage of an area. Genetic diversity promotes the mixing of genes to form new combinations, the key to adaptability and survival of all life. Once a species becomes extinct, it is gone forever, as are its genes and any future contribution that it might have made.
Table of contents
- Cover Page
- Title Page
- Contents
- Dedication
- Acknowledgments
- Introduction
- Chapter 1 Understanding Native Plants
- Chapter 2 Minnesotaâs Natural Plant Life
- Chapter 3 Gardening with Native Plants
- Chapter 4 Landscaping with Native Plants
- Chapter 5 Gallery of Gardens
- Native Plant Profiles
- Bibliography
- Index
- About the Author
- Copyright Page