Are native plants better than introduced plants?
• Well…maybe they are and maybe they aren’t. It depends on what landscaping objectives you are trying to achieve. Plants native to the intermountain west are well adapted to survive and serve a vegetative purpose with no care or water beyond what their native environment provides. Introduced plants usually require more care and watering to keep them alive and looking good. But some of our native plants will also require some care and extra water at your location to keep them alive and looking good (see Water Needs and Maintenance Suggestions for each plant). There are many different native species coming from diverse environments in the Intermountain Region. It is up to you, if you want to mix and match, or keep to a strict planting of natives only found in your neighborhood. There are also hundreds of introduced species that can serve many delightful functions. For example, my wife wants to use in our yard daffodils, peonies and iris which are not native to our area, but they look gre
