Native & Invasive Plants

NATIVE NON-CULTIVAR PLANTS


Planting non-cultivar/straight native plants in your garden is an important way to support seriously declining yet vital native insects, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals. When purchasing plants or seeds, make sure of three things: 

  1. The plant is native to Eastern Massachusetts, or at least to New England. A plant can be labeled native, but may not necessarily be native to this region. 
  2. The plant is a non-cultivar. Labels that have a cutesy name, a name in quotation marks or a trademark symbol after the name indicate the plant is a cultivar. Cultivars are often clones, hybrids, genetically modified or engineered for specific attributes, and can result in little or no nutritional benefit and dilution of existing native plant gene pools. For information on native, non-cultivar plant species, you can check out the Conservation Commission’s list of non-cultivar native plants, or click here: native, non-cultivar plant species. Grow Native Mass has lists of local native plant nurseries.
  3. The plants or seeds are neonicotinoid-free. Neonics are a class of systemic pesticides that are known to have devastating effects on bee and other vital insect populations. 

You can also consider joining the Homegrown National Park movement where individual homeowners create native plant gardens in an effort to regenerate biodiversity through interconnected corridors of native habitat.

The front and parking lot side flower beds at Town Hall are examples of native, non-cultivar gardens. 

You can find a lot of useful information on why native plants are important and how to incorporate them in your garden in Master Gardener Heidi Dollard’s presentation Gardening for Biodiversity with Native Plants

Check out Doug Tallamy’s presentation A Chickadee’s Guide to Gardening, which conveys the importance of native plants for birds.

 Click here for a list of plants that support bumble bees.


INVASIVE PLANTS


Non-native plants are often invasive, displacing native plants that support the local ecosystem. Click invasive plants for a list of invasives commonly found in the area. Hand pulling (and ensuring the whole root is removed) should be the initial option for invasive plant removal. Making it a point to remove a few invasive plants each time you are in your garden can help make the task of removing invasive plants less daunting. There are also local firms that will hand pull invasives from your garden. If hand removal is not an option, mechanical removal can be considered. The use of pesticides should be a last resort and should be conscientiously applied by a licensed applicator. Proper disposal is key in preventing unintended spread of invasive plants. You can check out Concord’s webpage on invasive plant removal and disposal for more information. Do not dispose of invasive plants in the yard waste chipping pile at the transfer station since doing so can result in spreading the invasives.