Plant This, Not That Landscape Ideas

I started a series on my social media channels called "Plant This, Not That" and folks seem to find it helpful, so here we go!

Most people I know don't realize the negative impact their landscaping has on wildlife. And how would they? No one tells you this stuff and you can't ask a question if you don't even know it exists.....

There are a lot of bushes and flowers that the majority of homes plant without knowing that they provide no nutrition or value to bees, butterflies, birds, etc. Believe it or not, not every flower produces nectar or pollen (that's a whole other article!). Researching what you're planting for its wildlife value is always a good idea if you're not sure and trying to make the best decision. There are also many sites that can steer you in the right direction, like the National Wildlife Federation's NATIVE PLANT FINDER or this NATIVE PLANT LIST FOR OHIO

While there's nothing wrong with planting a non-native or exotic plant species, adding in native species is always a great choice. Natives are easier to care for, provide our local wildlife with what they need, are the best source of nutrition and are host plants (the plants that butterflies and moths need to lay their eggs on) for all our butterflies and moths. Invasive species are never good and sometimes are illegal to sell in nurseries.

I'll also add that there are other things that may be valuable about the plants on my "Not That" list, but I'm more focused on their pollinator value, not medicinal, edible or sentimental. Not counting an invasive plant, if there's a non-native/exotic plant that makes you smile, by all means, plant it! Just give it a native buddy and cover all the bases for your pollinator pals here.

Stella D'Oro daylily

yellow flower coreopsis

Stella D'Oro daylily vs native Coreopsis (Yellow flowers)

Not This: Stella D’Oro daylilly: It’s sterile, which means it doesn’t produce pollen or nectar for our local pollinators. If you’re a foodie, you can eat the flowers - kids love it (ALWAYS verify what you can and can’t eat, start slow in case of allergic reactions). They’re everywhere in landscapes, but they aren’t invasive, just useless for pollinators and other wildlife.

Plant This: Native Coreopsis

Coreopsis, commonly known as tickseed, are popular, low-maintenance, drought-tolerant perennials (USDA zones 3-9)

Native to North America, they thrive in full sun and well-drained soil, reaching 1-3 feet tall and attracting pollinators.

Native to Ohio specifically: Lanceleaf Coreopsis, Tall Coreopsis, Mouse-ear Coreopsis and Plains Coreopsis

So easy to grow, beautiful and will come back year after year!

Forsythia bush in pot

Native Spicebush in landscape for pollinators

Forsythia bush vs Native Spicebush:

If you’ve heard of a Forsythia bush…. That falls under the “PLANT THIS, NOT THAT” category as the “NOT”

Why? While many people love the burst of yellow color in the spring from a Forsythia, what they often don’t realize - through no fault of their own- is that Forsythias are virtually void of pollen and nectar (sterile) which means they do not help pollinators, like bees and butterflies, at all. There's nothing wrong with planting a Forsythia, especially if you love them, but it would be great if you added....

The native Spicebush!

• super easy to grow

• provides red berries in the fall for birds

• provides an essential source of pollen and nectar for early season pollinators with small bursts of yellow flowers

• you’ll attract the beautiful Spicebush Swallowtail butterfly, which uses the Spicebush as its host plant (hence the name), lays its eggs on it and then you get…

• just about one of the coolest caterpillars you’ll ever see in Ohio!

All kinds of good reasons to add a Spicebush to your landscape this year! Check out our local nurseries to find one.

Japanese Barberry bush

Golden barberry bush

Ninebark bush in the garden

Japanese Barberry vs. Native Ninebark (pink/white flowers)

Oh yeah: Native Ninebark

• Excellent pollinator plant attracting native bees and butterflies, while its seed capsules attract birds. It acts as a host plant for several moth species, including the Cecropia moth.

• Interesting bark and tolerates a wide range of soil conditions but grows best in average, dry to medium wet, well-drained soil. Grows well in poor soil and tough conditions

• There are cultivars/nativars and you should exercise caution. I recently learned about these. A cultivar usually has a fancy name like 'Summer Wine', 'Amber Jubilee' . The issue is that may also be sterile. More information on this can be found HERE. This is why most organizations prefer straight natives for your pollinator garden.

NOT THAT: Japanese Barberry

• Highly invasive, forms dense thickets and crowds out native plants

• Its dense growth creates a highly humid environment ideal for black-legged ticks, which carry Lyme disease

• It spreads rapidly via bird-dispersed berries - there are way better berry producing native plants

Think about it….you can never go wrong with a native plant, but the invasive ones are just bad news!

Echinacea Purple Coneflower

Pink Turtlehead native flower ohio

Swamp milkweed in garden

Pink petunia in flower box

Pink Asiatic lily in garden

Asiatic Lily, Daylily or Petunias Vs. Echinacea, Pink Turtlehead or Swamp Milkweed (Pink flowers)

Asiatic lilies/Daylilies or petunias: Sterile and no wildlife value, but plant them if they make you happy! They cause no harm, they just don't help.

Echinacea (Purple Coneflower): Echinacea is a hardy, wonderful native plant that thrives in full sun

Pink Turtlehead likes full sun-partial shade

Swamp milkweed thrives in full sun and is (all milkweed species) the only host plant for monarch butterflies

There's an extensive list of ideas to plant, these are meant to help get you started...

Eastern Redbud tree in landscaping

Redbud branch of pink flowers

Eastern Redbud foliage in spring and summer

Pussy Willow with catkins in spring

Non-native flowering cherry tree

Invasive Callery Pear tree Bradford Pear tree

Callery Pear/Bradford Pear & Japanese Cherry Tree Vs. Pussy Willlows & Native Eastern Redbud: (Pink and White Flowers)

PLANT THIS: Native Eastern Redbud

Great spring tree, easy to grow, very important for spring pollinators

NOT VALUABLE: non-native ornamental cherry trees. Not the worst thing you could plant, but they are not high on the nutrition scale for pollinators; They won’t do any damage to our ecosystem, but the better choice would be a native tree. I won't lie, we have a Japanese Cherry tree, we planted it well before I learned about all the native plant stuff. I will say that it gets some pollinator activity, but not as nutritious as a native tree. If you have the room, plant them both if you’re in love with the ornamental cherry tree…. just don’t forget about native trees.

PLANT THIS: Pussy Willow

Early spring bees and other pollinators LOVE this bush/small tree!!! Ours is always buzzing with life! Salix discolor (American Pussy Willow) is the native species, often called the large pussy willow or glaucous willow. It grows 10–20 feet tall as a deciduous, multi-stemmed shrub or small tree. It's easy to grow, full sun or part sun

❌NOT THAT: Callery Pear/Bradford Pear ❌❌❌

This tree is an extremely invasive species, illegal to now sell at nurseries in Ohio. If you have one- cut it down. In some instances, you may be able to have the city take care of it for you. These trees crowd out native species, they smell horribly and are sterile, not doing one thing for our local pollinators. You can totally do better A hard. NO.

Hopefully this list has given you some ideas of what native plants you can add to your outdoor space!