What Are Native Plants?
Native plants are species that existed in the southeastern Pennsylvania area before man’s activities introduced plants from different areas of the Americas and of the world. The EPA defines native plants as those that have evolved over thousands of years in a particular region. Over the past several hundred years, plant enthusiasts have imported plants from other climates and continents, both intentionally and unintentionally. Non-native cultivars and alien plants have been propagated for aesthetic, cultural or environmental reasons. Some of these plants introduced to our area have proven to be invasive, have pushed out native plants, and disturbed the balance of our ecosystem, including waterways, animals, insects, and plants. In less serious cases, non-native plants simply use extra resources such as sun, water, or soil nutrients, and thereby make it hard for native plants to compete. This leads to less species biodiversity in meadows, woodlands, and wetlands. Some alien plants simpl
Native plants are plants that occur naturally in your region. For example, Douglas-fir is a native plant in much of Western Washington. English holly, on the other hand, is not a native plant in Washington because it was originally brought here by humans (it is, however, a native plant in England). Non-native plants are often called “exotic plants” or “introduced plants.” Occasionally they can become a problem, spreading aggressively and damaging wildlife habitat.
Native plants are plants that occur naturally in your region. For example, Douglas-fir is a native plant in much of Western Washington. English holly, on the other hand, is not a native plant in Washington because it was originally brought here by humans (it is, however, a native plant in England). Non-native plants are often called “exotic plants” or “introduced plants.” Some non -native plants can live and die in the new environment. Occasionally they can become a problem, spreading aggressively and damaging wildlife habitat. Such plants are called “invasive”. Have you seen monocultures of English Blackberry taking over near you?
Native plants are those that have grown in a particular location without human intervention. Under the right conditions, they would grown naturally in the same place that they first evolved. They can be planted in their indigenous area with little maintenance. Native plants can be defined by a large area or a very particular one. For example, plants can be native to the United States or more particularly can be native to Northeast Pennsylvania. The great variety in climates around a country like the United States makes is most convenient for home gardeners to classify them by small regions. For convenience sake, lists of native plants usually are ordered by the state they occur in. The appeal of native plants is that they are extremely low maintenance. Since they have naturally adapted to soil conditions in a given area, they can grow easily without expensive soils and fertilizers. They are very hardy and can generally grow even in soil considered poor for other breeds of plants. The n
