Natalscaping

[CathyInBlue]

The newscasters on the local news just talked about a way to beat the drought is to use all native plant species in your landscaping. I've always had a fondness for "a place for everything and everything in its place". If I ever do any large scale landscaping project, I want to not only add back species that are native to the area, but also to subtract back out all of the species that have been introduced over the years, but how?

Every plant and tree guide I can find is all about the species that everyone else has found to do well in a given climate zone, not what species were here in the first place. How can I go about finding guides to plant, flower, herb, and tree species that are native to Indiana, and specificly to the part of Indiana where I would be landscaping?

I've even coined a term for this practice. Just as landscapers in the desert only use plants from wherever that can tolerate the dry, desert climate and call it xeriscaping, I call landscaping using exclusively plants that have been in the area for at least 1000 years "natalscaping".

Any other gardeners out there in INGO land that can help me get natalscaping started?

 

[88GT]

[ame=http://www.amazon.com/Wildflowers-Ferns-Indiana-Forests-Natural/dp/0253223253/ref=pd_sim_b_1]Wildflowers and Ferms[/ame]

[ame=http://www.amazon.com/Shrubs-Woody-Vines-Indiana-Midwest/dp/1557536104/ref=pd_sim_b_2]Shrubs and Woody Vines[/ame]

[ame=http://www.amazon.com/Native-Trees-Midwest-Identification-Landscaping/dp/1557535728/ref=pd_sim_b_2]Native Trees[/ame]

A thousand years might be a bit of a strict standard though. Lots of naturalization takes place without human introduction.

 

[88GT]

DP, sorry

 

[Fishersjohn48]

Nativescaping has been popular in some areas for quite some time. Yes, many native plants do well when planted in the type area and soil that they are native to but that does not mean that any native will do well in your yard. Most homes have soils that were stripped of the native topsoil and sold. The soil that becomes your yard/planting areas is frequently subsurface soil devoid of much organic material. Indiana soils range from sandy in the North to heavy clays further south with some areas of rich silt loam in the middle. It is important to use the plants that work well in their native soil. White Pine is one that comes to mind. They do well in the sandy soils but are usually a disaster in heavy clay soil.

The other thing to consider is that many "native" plants do not lend themselves well to ornamental plantings. Of course there are exceptions. Dogwoods, redbuds, oaks, maples, ironwood, yellow wood, all make fine landscape trees. There are also a few cultivated varieties that may be cheating on the true native scale but still are a good compromise. Elderberry, sumac, bayberry all have their place in some landscapes.

Here is a link to a useful resource for native plants. http://www.inpaws.org/landscaping/landscape-worthy-indiana-natives/

There are also a few companies that specialize in restoration work. Spence restoration nurseries, JF New are a couple that come to mind.

 

[88GT]

Nativescaping has been popular in some areas for quite some time. Yes, many native plants do well when planted in the type area and soil that they are native to but that does not mean that any native will do well in your yard. Most homes have soils that were stripped of the native topsoil and sold. The soil that becomes your yard/planting areas is frequently subsurface soil devoid of much organic material. Indiana soils range from sandy in the North to heavy clays further south with some areas of rich silt loam in the middle. It is important to use the plants that work well in their native soil. White Pine is one that comes to mind. They do well in the sandy soils but are usually a disaster in heavy clay soil.

The other thing to consider is that many "native" plants do not lend themselves well to ornamental plantings. Of course there are exceptions. Dogwoods, redbuds, oaks, maples, ironwood, yellow wood, all make fine landscape trees. There are also a few cultivated varieties that may be cheating on the true native scale but still are a good compromise. Elderberry, sumac, bayberry all have their place in some landscapes.

Here is a link to a useful resource for native plants. http://www.inpaws.org/landscaping/landscape-worthy-indiana-natives/

There are also a few companies that specialize in restoration work. Spence restoration nurseries, JF New are a couple that come to mind.

That's because White Pine isn't naturally occurring across the entire state, just...wait for it...NW Indiana where the sand content in the soil is higher.

 

[CathyInBlue]

I live in the Wabash Valley... literally. Like the banks of the ancient course of the Wabash River are on either side of me. Trust me, my backyard is sandy as hell.

Thanks for the literature and links. Even if a given species is not of an "ornamental" type, if I had large bald spots in the wilder areas of my land, I'd still want to amend the soil and then broadcast seeds of the "weedier" varieties of native Indiana plants.