Native gardening

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Native gardening is an approach to gardening which uses plants indigenous to the geographical area in which the garden is located. In many ways it is similar to bush regeneration, but is carried out in the home garden rather than public spaces. Furthermore, bush regeneration targets preexisting patches of (often heavily degraded) original bushland and has removal of weeds as a high (sometimes higher) priority than replanting of native plants.

Native plants provide suitable habitat for native species of butterflies, birds, and other wildlife. They provide more variety in gardens by offering myriad alternatives to the over-planted cultivars and aliens. These plants have co-evolved with animals, fungi and microbes, to form a complex network of relationships. They are the foundation of their native ecosystems, or natural communities.

Such gardens often benefit from the plants being habituated to the climate and soil conditions present and may require fewer soil amendments or chemical treatments in order to present a pleasing display.

However, while local provenance plants have adapted to local conditions (which includes climate, soil, and other native plants and animals), there will often be instances, especially in cities, where one or more of these will have been radically altered.

Examples include:

Building rubble used as landfill in a garden may result in a markedly more alkaline soil, which can be a problem if this is a region where the soil is usually acid (and hence the local plants are adapted to acid soils).
Buildings often cast a substantial amount of shade, especially with garden spaces shrinking in most urban areas. This may give rise to conditions substantially shadier than many local plants would like.
Soil which is high in organic material and nutrients is often introduced into gardens, or many gardeners will have used fertilizers. Plants from some areas, e.g. many Australian plants are particularly sensitive to phosphorus.

Despite this, there are usually plenty of indigenous plants which will grow and thrive in the area one is trying to establish a native garden.

Many weeds in an area are usually the result of imported plants. These plants become invasive because there are no natural controls such as disease, weather, or fauna in their new environment. They take over native habitats, reducing shelter and food for local fauna. Using local provenance plants increases the biodiversity of and is important for the health of a region's overall ecology. Much of our wild areas have been destroyed to make room for development. Housing developments have replaced native habitats with houses and vast lawns. While development won't be stopped, gardeners can keep wild areas and green spaces filled with native species on their lots and in their communities.

Rain gardens that absorb rainwater from gutters and impervious surfaces, work much better when planted with native plants tolerant to the alternate flooding and drying cycles.

[edit] Wildflower gardens

Wildflower is a term used in some countries to describe the numerous showy flowers from some drier climates, most notably southwest Western Australia, Southern Africa and North America.

Some wildflower gardens attempt to recreate a prairie landscape, including native grasses along with the flowering plants, or forbs. Such gardens benefit the local wildlife, often attracting birds, butterflies and small mammals. By carefully choosing the plants in the garden, the gardener can encourage some of these visitors to the garden. One popular type of wildflower garden specializes in attracting butterflies and is called a butterfly garden.

The native plants used in wildflower gardens often have deep root systems. This makes them good plants for absorbing runoff and allowing the water to filter back into the local water table. Wildflower gardens that focus on capturing runoff in this fashion are called rain gardens.

[edit] Native plant societies

In many parts of the world, there are societies, clubs or local groups, such as Bushcare in Australia, which are made up of gardeners interested in growing plants local to their area, state or country. They can be the best way to find out about (and to obtain by buying or swapping) local native plants. Many members have spent years or decades cultivating local plants or bushwalking in local areas.