Eco-Friendly Plants for Landscaping: Native Plants are Important

Going green is not just a matter of doing things indoors its comprised of doing things outside as well. Take a step outside and look around your lawn. You will see nature at its best. To become more eco-friendly to your yard you must use the right plants! They are so easy to find you may already have some in your backyard. The best plants to use that are more eco-friendly are plants that are native to your region. It doesn’t matter where you are as long as the plants come from that region. It is very important to use these as they will help with the natural habitat of your land.

Take a look around your yard and you will find various signs of wildlife and habitats. You may have wetlands, swamplands and/ or woodlands and meadows. Most areas have a combination of these areas so it is important to take a look around before beginning any landscape project. The last thing you want to do is to start cutting down the home of a family of bluebirds and a den of chipmunks.

When choosing the right plants for your yard consider the native plants as the heart and soul of your property. It is okay to include some exotic plants but do not go overboard. Exotic plants most times have the ability to adapt to their environment. When you use native plants you are being kind to the wildlife and habitat of your region. This is good for you and the world.

If you are looking to place a grassy area in your yard it is best to stay away from Turf. Use natural seeds to get your green grass to grow. This is better than turf because its humane, uses less chemicals and is softer to walk on barefoot.

Some natural plants to the North East Pennsylvania area depending on the type of landscape are:

Dutch man’s breeches, Maidenhair Fern and Jack in the Pulpit are great for woodland gardens.

Quaker Ladies, cardinal flower and turtle head are a beautiful compliment to wetlands.

Columbine, Sneezeweed and Thrift are exceptional for more open areas.

This is just a few native plants for Pennsylvania. To find out the best native plants for your landscaping project check with your local Nature Conservancy. These places are filled with wonderful information and would love to help you keep your neck of the woods a better place for all to live in.

When deciding on reason to make your lawn a green landscape consider going to the Nature Conservancy and also check out epa.gov to find out what the EPA has to say. Their site is full of wonderful tips and information you can use to better yourself and the environment.

Here are just a few facts from the EPA about why you should go green with your lawn today. Please consider changing some of the tools you may already use to make this world a more friendly place.

Fact: Gasoline-powered landscape equipment, that includes mowers, trimmers and chainsaws, account for over 5% of our urban air pollution.

Fact: Residential pesticides are typically at a rate 20 times that of farmers per acre.

Fact: Yard waste comprises 20% of municipal solid waste collected and most still end up in landfills. This is commonly grass clippings!

Fact: A lawn has less than 10% of the water absorption capacity of a natural woodland – a reason for suburban flooding.

These facts are directly from the EPA’s website.

Make your environment a better place. Do green landscaping with native plants. You can’t go wrong!