We’ve all seen the food pyramid, with healthier foods forming the base and chocolate cheesecake with cholesterol sauce at the top (mmmm…. cholesterol sauce). Though nutritionists argue about the specifics, it’s a great concept because it makes healthy eating a bit simpler to visualize.
Preserving the connections between wildlife and the plants that support them is just like healthy eating – there’s no need to be extreme and cut out the roses, dahlias and “dessert” plants that bring you joy. Life’s better when we indulge a bit. (Below, Heuchera planted among my native Columbine.)
But there’s also no denying that many insect and animal species rely on very specific types of plants in order to breed and eat. We don’t yet understand all the connections between plants and wildlife, but one thing is clear: plants have evolved over time alongside the insect and animal populations that feed and reproduce on them, so planting a variety of plants native to your area is one of the simplest ways of helping out your local wildlife.
But planting for wildlife can be rife with questions and unknowns. Is something still native if it normally grows in a different part of the state? Is that gorgeous cultivated variety of a native plant still helpful? In the interest of keeping things simple, I’ve created the Planting Pyramid, below.
The base of the pyramid – native plants:
When choosing plants to benefit wildlife, there are three major things to consider:
What’s native?: Many people define what is native to their area on a state-by-state basis. But this ignores that fact that most states have a variety of habitats and types of wildlife. I live in the redwoods of Northern California, and the plants that grow wild in my area bear little resemblance to the plants that grow naturally down near the California/ Mexico border.
So it makes sense when choosing natives to think about the natural areas closest to your home. In fact, many native plant nurseries and societies are propagating plants from local seeds and cuttings so that you not only have a variety that is native, but a locally-sourced version of that native. This helps ensure that local wildlife is adapted to the plants and that they’ll grow successfully in your garden.
Woody natives: On the whole, woody plants like trees and shrubs provide food and shelter to the greatest variety of wildlife. So when choosing where you can have the most impact for your local wildlife, shrubs and trees can be a better bet than perennials and small flowers.
Nativars: Many natives are being bred to have better characteristics for landscaping, such as more brilliantly-colored flowers, ruffly blooms, or a variety of sizes that fit into home gardens more easily. While the naturally-occurring plant variety is sure to be a good fit for wildlife, it’s likely that many of the wildlife benefits of native plants are still found in hybrids and selected varieties.
However, there are two times when cultivated varieties of natives are definitely not as helpful:
When flowers have become more ruffly or have changed shape in some way. Flower shape is really important in allowing pollinators to feed, so when people breed in more petals, they often breed out wildlife value. Even so, a floofy-petaled native still retains more wildlife benefit then its non-native counterpart, because there may be other insects, birds, or beneficial soil microbes that can still form a community with the plant. (Below, a Douglas iris in its natural state and a new floofy one.)
When the cultivated variety is of a single sex. For example, Garrya elliptica ‘James Roof’ is a male version of my locally-native silk tassel. It’s been bred to have longer tassels and no fruit, which makes it more visually appealing during tassel-time, and easier to plant in commercial installations such as in a parking lot, where fruit can be slippery and messy. The problem with this is that local birds are used to eating the fruit from female silk tassels, so when only the male is planted, birds lose out on a nutritious feast.
Bottom line? Cultivated varieties of natives are still highly beneficial, but if it’s not a big difference to you, a locally-grown species is often the most helpful for wildlife.
The middle of the pyramid – generalist wildlife value and feeding people:
Generalist wildlife value: Many birds and insects are “generalists”, that is, they can drink most types of nectar, eat most kinds of seed or berry, and generally get along fine with whatever food we care to provide in our gardens for them.
These types of wildlife are usually not in danger of going extinct, so we don’t usually worry about their numbers in the way we do “specialist” bugs and birds, which rely on particular natives to survive. However, it’s still a fine thing to provide food and shelter to them, and they are easy to attract and enjoy watching in your garden.
Plants that have good generalist value are non-native ornamental grasses and seed-setting perennials, shrubs with berries, and plants with ample nectar like those in the mint family. Woody plants – shrubs and trees – are also of great benefit to wildlife because they provide places to nest and hide.
Feeding people: Humans are wildlife, too, and though we aren’t reliant on our backyards to feed us, it’s a noble thing to become more so! The gas/ oil used in shipping food to us, and the chemicals used in agriculture have a detrimental effect on our wildlife populations. Feeding yourself fresh, healthy food from your garden or a local organic farm is hugely beneficial in protecting wildlife.
The top of the pyramid – purely for visual impact or functional purposes:
So, I’m a landscaper. My whole career is built on the idea that beauty is important. A gorgeous garden feeds our souls, connects us to nature and invites us outdoors, and recharges us so that we can keep doing the things in our lives that feel most true and important to us. So when I say that the top of the pyramid – the smallest portion – might best be made up of plants with purely aesthetic value or that serve a functional purpose (like a lawn to play on), I don’t want you to feel judged.
I love flowers! I love playing on my lawn! And I plant beautiful things in my garden that do nothing but infuse my life with wonder and color. And you should, too!
But let’s get real: a lot of the time, when we’re thinking about what to plant, an impulse purchase, nursery sale, or a quick “I want!” makes the decision for us, when a little bit of planning and research might have yielded a plant that could satisfy our soul AND provide some additional benefit. (Below, Cryptomeria and my native Ceanothus mingle in a local nursery’s landscape.)
It’s about mindfulness. If a non-native dahlia that needs protecting from pests makes your soul sing, then by all means, plant some dahlias! But plant them right up where you’ll see them every day, and only plant as many as you need to lavishly participate in the dahlia-loving experience. Then nestle in a couple of native shrubs and some edible plants alongside so that your dahlias take their place within a deliciously varied and useful landscape.
Remember that the goal here isn’t “perfection”, whatever that is. It’s about finding a balance in your own garden that allows you to contribute to the environment as effectively as possible, while leaving ample room for you – your artistic input, your hobbies, and your experience of the garden.
© 2011 – 2012, Genevieve Schmidt. All rights reserved. This article is the property of Native Plants and Wildlife Gardens. If you are reading this at another site, please report that to us
About Genevieve Schmidt
A very good way to look at it—sadly, so many of our gardens are all dessert and no meat! My garden’s about seventy percent native, but I still find room for a couple of favorites for pure looks, like Japanese iris and catmint, and I will confess to a Knockout rose in the corner.
UrsulaV recently posted..Flowers That Count
Awesome, Ursula! I confess you’re ahead of me! I’m just learning about native plants after years of being a landscaper. I think that familiarity breeds love in my case, because as I come to know and grow our natives, I fall in love with them! But I still have more plants that are non-native that I have adored all these years, and that’s the majority of my garden at the moment. I’m slowly beginning the process of getting some more “good food” into my garden. My partner loves to photograph insects, so I know he’ll be excited to see more insects coming around!
Genevieve recently posted..Garden Designers Roundtable- Top Landscape Plants Excerpts from Experts
Gen, I love the idea of a planting pyramid, it’s so helpful to relate a confusing concept to something we’re al lso familiar with already. I’m already planning to ‘borrow’ the idea for a few classes I’m teaching but I’ll be sure to give you credit for it!
Debbie Roberts recently posted..Spring in my Connecticut Garden
Debbie, I’m honored! I’m so glad you’re teaching people about how to make more sustainable choices in their gardens. I truly believe that these kinds of gardens – full of life and movement, and with sustainable cycles in place, as you teach – fulfill the soul in a way that more sterile gardens do not.
Genevieve recently posted..Garden Designers Roundtable- Top Landscape Plants Excerpts from Experts
Brilliant idea Genevieve! I love this as a way to introduce the idea of thinking about different ‘levels’ of plants, based on their benefit.
Even some ‘dessert’ plants or ornamentals from the top of the pyramid can still provide some benefits for wildlife. I’ve become a big fan of sedums, and i indulge a little in them, but many offer great flowers for pollinators and others are very dense and make good shelter for other insects. They’re easy to grow, need little water and despite many of them not being native, they have many of the same benefits.
Another example of top of the pyramid being beneficial is from a backyard habitat I once visited where the owner was passionate about dahlias. To add habitat to her dahlia bed, she’d put stakes to tie them up that were taller than the flowers to add perching for dragonflies, which they used! She also made her own slug repellent, mini-green houses out of old milk jugs to avoid any pesticide use. The rest of the yard was devoted to habitat, but I applaud the length she had gone to in keeping her hobby wildlife friendly.
Kelly, what excellent points! I have never heard of dragonflies perching atop landscape stakes. May I just say that the idea is completely charming? What a wonderful way of helping “hobby” plants fit into a broader ecosystem. That’s a beautiful idea.
You’re totally right that “dessert” plants can support wildlife as well, and I confess a weakness for many of those plants for just that reason! Borage is a huge favorite with me, just because the bees love it so. It’s great for photography for that reason – you can always catch someone being adorable on it!
I loved this post, so dense with creative, deep thinking and filled with images of brilliant color combinations!
Wonderful, important information!
Megan recently posted..Grandparent Wisdom- use phenology for predictable planting dates & to aid holistic pest control
Gen, I LOVE your idea of the pyramid! I try to encourage people to increase the proportion of plants at the base of the pyramid, and your ideas will help me to do that. Thanks
Carole Sevilla Brown recently posted..Early Spring Blooms in My Wildlife Garden
Good thinking. However, the jury is out “nativars”.
Some nativars may be acceptable to some or most local wildlife but some may be not due to different smell etc. The biggest danger: they may interbreed with local genotypes, destroying and replacing the local genotype, and thus depriving the fauna for the plant altogether, and turning a local genotype into, basically, an invasive weed.
Which nativars will function as a safe part of the local environment and which will not would require years of study for EACH cultivar. This is obviously not practical so the best bet is to go for local genotypes.
Sue, those are important things to add to the discussion! Thank you for sharing them. I agree that local genotypes are best. I do wish that scientists would make this a priority to study (I wish we could connect this type of research to an industry with money!) so that we could have more knowledge. Because it is tough to sell most gardeners on local, as-is natives, the nativars are an important area of research to help bring more of the benefits of natives to a wider group.
Genevieve Schmidt recently posted..Gardening Under Redwoods- Dealing With Dry Shade- Acidic Soil- and Root Competition
I appreciated the segment on natives specific to the area… This concept gets lost at the plant nursery when anything native to the country, or the hemisphere is considered “native”.
There are some very nice plants that I’ve found growing in my area (within a few counties) that aren’t carried in the trade, that in-spite of collecting seed and sharing these plants, id remains elusive… and the only cultivated sources of these plants seems to be the gardens that I maintain…
WI think that we need a discussion on bringing these region specific plants into public awareness… (a how-to).
stone recently posted..Looks like part of a Frankenstien movie
Stone, I could not agree more. It is beyond frustrating to find an amazing native plant that grows easily in landscape conditions, and then to realize that nobody will stock it. Sad!! This truly is a major issue in supporting wildlife through native plants.
Genevieve Schmidt recently posted..How To Gopher-Proof an Existing Raised Bed Photo Tutorial
I think the danger of cultivars escaping into the wild is a bit alarmist and in reality pretty low risk. Strictly speaking a “nativar” is just a selection of a native plant that is chosen for form, size, or color. It isn’t a hybrid and doesn’t have fish DNA or any other weirdness. As any gardener can attest most of them end up reverting to the natural form if they go to seed in the garden and any crosses with natural plants are probably going to be more like the natural parent.
I guess there is a danger in a large group of cultivars creating a monoculture and being more susceptible to diseases or insect pests that seed grown wild plants have evolved defenses to but that would probably just knock out the population of cultivars.
Personally I would rather grow seed grown natives just because I love growing things from seed but I have my doubts that a cultivated selection is a danger to the general population.
I’m very glad to hear your take on this, Kaveh. Nativars are such a great way of broadening the appeal of native plants, so it is heartening to hear that you think the danger is minimal. We really do need more thorough study on issues related to natives, so we can have all the facts at hand. But your experience growing natives and nativars in the garden gives some very valuable feedback. I have not had them seeding in the garden at all, so I don’t have that experience to draw on. Thank you so much for adding such interesting points to the discussion.
Genevieve Schmidt recently posted..Why Yes- I Do Talk About Non-Native Plants
Gen, this pyramid idea is really swell. It’s a great way to make sense of the cultivated flora and I think it should be rendered graphically and published, well, just everywhere! Thank you for this brilliant lightbulb of an idea. May we see it spread hither and thither. Kudos to you!
Aww, Owen, thanks so much! I would love to make a little graphic of it – was just asking my partner Trevor if he can show me some Photoshop skillz so I can do things like that. Have you seen Carole’s response post? I love how she incorporated lawn into the whole concept.
http://www.ecosystemgardening.com/planting-pyramid-turned-upside-down.html
Genevieve Schmidt recently posted..Eartheasy Raised Beds – With Giveaway!
Wonderful article. I posted a simpler less well developed article yesterday on my blog and now I am almost ashamed of it. I really appreciate the thought that you have put into your approach to using natives. As members of the green industry, we all should be striving to balance beauty, support of wildlife, and of course gardens that require less resources (water, maintenance, chemicals).
I am proud to say that I have been pushing the Japanese garden I work at in the direction of more organic fertilization and IPM practices, and I finally got our turf care to 100% organic this year even at a substantially higher cost. I feel this is another area where we all can make changes to support wildlife.