Even the smallest action can create powerful change, starting with the plants we choose to grow. To an animal or bird, a single shrub or grass can be a winter home, nesting cover, or a source of food. While pollinators are getting a lot of attention the green industry is increasingly looking for ways to support wildlife to shore up our ecosystem.
A new landscape
For much of human history, we’ve viewed nature as inherently separate from us. If it wasn’t useful to us, it had better move. Now, losing species at an unprecedented rate due to the destruction of habitat, we are seeking ways to bring nature and wildlife back into our landscapes for our mutual benefit.
“As humans, we have to change the way we are thinking about wildlife,” said Nicholas Staddon, plantsman and spokesperson for Everde Growers, a multistate wholesale grower based in Houston, Texas with nurseries in Oregon, Texas, Florida, and California. “If we want it, it’s up to us.”
At this writing, over 1400 animal (vertebrate and invertebrate) species are endangered, according to U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. And the National Wildlife Federation said that approximately one-third of America’s wildlife species face extinction.
“Gardening for wildlife, with native plants at its core, is essential right now because natural habitats are disappearing at an alarming rate, causing cascading impacts on the environment,” said Mary Phillips, head of native plant habitat strategy/certifications for the National Wildlife Federation (NWF). “When numerous individuals establish wildlife gardens, they form a network of small habitats that substantially boost wildlife resources.”
Wildlife is moving wherever it can to find resources, colonizing city parks, skyscrapers, and suburbs. In Seattle, it’s not uncommon to see a coyote or raccoon lope down the sidewalk, while hawks nest in bridges and apartment buildings. Thanks to a now-famous mountain lion called “P-22,” Los Angeles’ Highway 101 is being refurbished with plantings as “the world’s largest wildlife crossing” to connect fragmented habitats.
There is hope in the housing sector, too. Since 2019, The NWF has partnered with Taylor Morrison, one of the country’s largest homebuilders creating more than 7,622 acres of Certified Wildlife Habitat® and 110 Natural Certified Open Spaces™ in its housing communities, said Phillips.
“NWF experts ensure each site features native plants, conserves water, and uses no chemical fertilizers or pesticides. In addition, certifications will require habitat management plans and commitments to both public education and ongoing stewardship of the landscape.”
This same thinking can help our growing fields and landscapes.
“We always take a proactive approach to laying out utilities, building roads, and designing buildings,” said Alec Charais, chief marketing and product development officer, Bailey Nurseries, a wholesale grower with three Oregon farms that is based in St. Paul, Minn.
“It seems obvious that we should put the same thoughtful, intentional effort into designing our yards, commercial landscaping, etc. to coexist with wildlife in a mutually beneficial way. As the only species on the planet with agency, it’s our duty to protect the ecosystem.”
Yet there may be some pushback to welcoming wildlife when folks are used to excluding it for various reasons.
“I typically hear clients concerned about deer destroying certain crops and how they need resistant crops, said Josh LaPoint, West Coast sales manager for Rio Verde Plantas , an Oregon wholesale grower of container shrubs and trees, and Schwope Brothers Tree Farm, an Oregon supplier of bare root trees, both owned by DCA Outdoor, based in Kansias City Missouri. “This doesn’t preclude the necessity of supporting other types of nature though. We are just starting to turn the corner on responsible planting with a mind toward wildlife-supporting habitats.”
Gardeners are learning about the value and beauty native plants can offer, and the ways to nourish and protect wildlife in our outdoor spaces. Oregon’s Backyard Habitats program, for example, has 12,000 members. Unlike many self-reporting programs nationwide, this program certifies up to three levels, sends people to verify your claims, and asks you to remove invasive species, add native plants, reduce pesticide use, support stormwater management and wildlife.
Thanks to the Columbia and the Willamette rivers, the website said, “The Portland-Vancouver region sits at an incredible ecological crossroads.” In fact, it’s part of the Pacific Flyway for bird migration. Not only does the region host 209 of Oregon’s 500 bird species, but it’s also critical habitat for amphibians, fish and other wildlife.
Plant more of the right plants
Increasing and connecting our green spaces are essential, ecologists say, so simply planting more is important, from groundcovers to shade trees, and rain gardens to eco roofs. We can further maximize the leverage of our plantings by choosing keystone species that support greater numbers of species, and by selecting plants so our landscapes support wildlife year-round.
Portland-based designer Amy Whitworth of Plan-it Earth Design said, “Using the forest as a model, I think about all the layers of plants from the tallest tree to the lowest groundcover and try to incorporate as many of those layers as I can: overstory trees, understory trees, tall shrubs, medium and small shrubs, herbaceous perennial layer and groundcovers, and strive to layer the plants in a way that they will cover the ground, acting as a green mulch, so their shapes interlock and fit well amongst each other.”
Staddon sees hedgerows as a winning strategy providing nesting cover, various foods, and shelter from wind and rain to animals who can’t reach trees. In addition to making a great wildlife highway, they can be windbreaks and privacy screens.
“Highways need to be mixture of food-bearing, evergreen, and thick dense plants to allow creatures to move undisturbed from garden to garden and community to community.”
His first choice? Hawthorns. “The thornier the better,” he said. “They offer great nesting cover, are terrific food source, and some varieties are even evergreen.”
Having co-evolved with local wildlife, native plants are likely to be the most successful, and those local to your region even more so. But rather than overplanting the same five foolproof natives, experts say ultimately diversity is more important to resiliency than planting 100% natives. Even within a single plant type, conservationists take care to preserve multiple sources, because they will have different adaptations.
Nature and its creatures are adaptable — as shown by prominent examples like P-22 in Los Angeles — and can find food and shelter in many plants (with some specialist exceptions). So, while native plants are ideal, diverse plantings of non-invasive plants can also create bountiful habitat.
Are wild gardens messy?
“It’s true that native gardens can look a little more on the wild side and regularly cutting back plants and hedging them will cut off flowers and fruits that could otherwise provide food,” Whitworth noted. “However, they don’t have to look messy.
“Native bunch grasses (fescues) can give a clean look and be tidied up after winter. Native currants and other shrubs can be artfully shaped, and native Ceanothus shrubs have clean foliage that is attractive and can be shaped after it blooms. Our native huckleberry also has handsome foliage which could be shaped into a neat low hedge instead of using boxwood.”
Some “wild” gardens, like meadows, are planned to be able to be mowed once annually, while hedgerows are meant to knit together in a crazy-quilt style that is rarely if ever pruned.
Another strategy is creating neat boundaries with clean edges or low hedging to add what designer Thomas Rainer calls “cues of care” — showing the hand of the gardener.
In addition, breeders are expanding our planting options with new compact or upright “garden-worthy” nativars and selections of classic favorites.
Some new and old favorites
“One of my newest favorites,” said LaPoint, “is a blackberry called Taste of Heaven™ (Rubus ‘Ponca’ PP33330 CPBRAF) by Proven Winners and Spring Meadow Nursery.” He called this thornless variety “supremely delicious.”
He also enjoys elderberries in the garden. “We have started growing elderberry bushes … [at home] as well,” LaPoint said. “These are tasty for birds but we also harvest them to make a little immune system booster that the kids drink each evening.”
Jude Hawley, designer for Farmington Gardens, a retailer with locations in Beaverton and Hillsboro, Oregon, said selecting for blooms, seeds and/or berries year-round creates a garden enjoyed by humans and wildlife.
“Crabapple trees provide food going into winter, as do the native snowberries (Symphoricarpos alba) which usually fruit in November,” she said. Red-twig dogwood (Cornus sericea) whose white summer flowers, fall berries, and even its twigs are a one-stop wildlife buffet.
Bailey’s Charais found it hard to pick favorites but called out First Editions Fiber Optics® Buttonbush (Cephalanthus occidentalis ‘BAILOPTICS’ PP29475), a compact selection of the native buttonbush, with “tremendous wildlife benefits including nectar-filled flowers and a seed head that is eaten by waterfowl,” and Lotus Moon™ Pearlbush (Exochorda × macrantha ‘Bailmoon’) which can shelter nesting birds.
Remove the wrong ones
Invasive plants are a significant threat to native plants, so minimizing their spread is critical. Being up-to-date about noxious weed lists and educating the public on this issue is important.
LaPoint said Rio Verde Plantas avoids growing invasive cultivars and species.
“One of the worst things you can do for any ecosystem is introduce an invasive species that pushes out all the natives so we are cognizant of that in our tree and shrub planning meetings,” he said. Rio Verde Plantas is also expanding its range of edible shrubs.
Takeaways
“Nurseries can take action to increase the availability of native plants, in particular, keystone natives, which have co-evolved with wildlife needs,” the NWF’s Phillips said.
“In addition, [they can] increase awareness about this issue with promotional displays that show the value of these plants to local wildlife species in the area. They can invite local naturalists and conservation groups to help train workers or directly educate consumers by hosting workshops and events that promote the importance and benefits of wildlife gardening and creating a wildlife demonstration garden at the nursery.”
Charais said, “Providing education to both the trade and consumer is a crucial step in helping people recognize the benefits of shrubs that attract wildlife. For example, First Editions® branded plants call out benefits such as “attracts butterflies” or “attracts wildlife” clearly on the label and website.”
The nursery industry is uniquely situated to improve the health of the planet, he notes. “The plants are a major part of a landscape that is inviting to wildlife, and we have the power as an industry to create habitats that are not only interesting but leave a legacy of making our world better and better.”
In addition, being open to using new plants that are more adaptable to current needs will benefit growers and consumers in the long run — as well as the planet.
“In some cases, the tried-and-true plants get used because growers are confident that they will have a market. But the more and more we open our design pallets to a broader assortment of species that offer the variability in season and function needed to sustain life, the more we are doing our part as a society and as an industry. We just have to keep trying new things,” Charais said.
From the July 2024 issue of Digger magazine | Download PDF of article
