Cues of Care When Using Native Plants

I think we can use native plants in the landscape just as we would use non-native plants: a pleasing group of perennials here; a specimen tree there; a row of shrubs between the neighbors. People often ask how we can convince homeowner associations (HOA) to support the use of more native plants. I have long felt that we should use them like any non-native plant, but I recently came across a useful term—cues of care—that might help us describe how to use them better.

These edging stones and the fence give indications that this is a garden.

Cues of care are those large and small efforts that show that your landscape is both designed on purpose and cared for. The best use of this term was in the very excellent article that Jennifer Ceska wrote last year, featured in the blog on segrasslands.org.

Many folks think of ‘native plants’ as messy, often envisioning tangled roadsides. It’s ironic that those messy roadsides are often the result of invasive plants being there. When I get a chance to drive down country roads with no invasive plants, the roadsides are beautiful and well-behaved. 

Using native plants as part of your home landscape, your community garden (church, school, public park), and even city and county-managed local roadsides needs to be part of how we repair the ecosystem and begin to restore insect and bird populations. Your strategies for doing so should consider:

• Selection of appropriate plants based on conditions (sun/shade/wet/dry), functionality desired, and regionally appropriate species.
• Attractive design (your first cue of care) with 3-season bloom choices if possible.
• Regular maintenance of the space (your ongoing cue of care).
• Signage if appropriate for public spaces, trails, to fulfill educational goals (another cue of care).

An informal but obviously designed space thanks to hardscape and placement

What are some of the cues of care that we can employ in these spaces? Here are some of my own ideas as well as some pulled from Jennifer’s article. Use as many as you like, subject to any local constraints (I know one HOA said no bird feeders ...).

1. Use landscape design techniques. These include designing spaces clearly intended to contain plants like annuals, perennials, shrubs or small trees. In the case of smaller plants, this includes grouping them in pleasing arrangements (often in numbers of 3, 5 or 7).

2. Employ negative spaces such as small turfgrass sections, paths, or seating areas to differentiate the landscape from the human space.

3. Create clear edges between the spaces and maintain them for neatness. Examples of edges range from formal (poured concrete edges) to informal (rocks, timbers, mulch, or even cleanly mowed strips). Use hardscaping such as paths, patios, sidewalks, benches, rocks.

4. Use signage to identify plants, to indicate habitat certification (NWF, GNPS, Audubon), or to provide points of education (“This ground is left bare to support nesting native solitary bees, an important source of pollination services for native plants.”).

5. Employ a little yard art plus birdbaths, birdfeeders, and birdhouses.

Numbers illustrate plant types repeated

A noticeable lawn edge

Rocks and logs edge an informal path

So, ladies and gentleman, pick your plants and get those spaces designed. We can do this. It's time to go native!