Do all non-native plants crowd out native species and damage the environment?
Some exotics grow much better in disturbed areas such as roadsides and old fields than native plants. Some grow so well that they become a nuisance or even a serious problem. However, the vast majority of non-natives are well-behaved garden plants like flowering crabapple or peony. Adding these non-natives to your home landscape helps create a highly diverse environment, and provides a broad number of plants to grow on a wide variety of sites. Planting all natives can also be an attractive landscape alternative, but be sure to include a wide range of plants to keep diversity high.
