{"id":2392,"date":"2013-06-13T14:52:18","date_gmt":"2013-06-13T18:52:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/?p=2392"},"modified":"2021-03-22T13:01:20","modified_gmt":"2021-03-22T17:01:20","slug":"we-heart-native-plants","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/we-heart-native-plants\/","title":{"rendered":"We Heart Native Plants"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"There are many reasons you should include native plants into your landscape plans. For one, most native plants require little maintenance because they have evolved to thrive in our local habitats and growing conditions.<\/p>\n

That means after the first year of making sure they are well watered and have put out roots, very little watering and care is needed. Perhaps the most compelling reason is that not only do native plants look good, they also do good<\/i> for wildlife.<\/p>\n

Five Native Plants To Consider<\/strong><\/p>\n

So what native plants should you consider if you live in Massachusetts? Here are five of our spring and summer perennial favorites that will come back year after year.<\/p>\n

Butterfly Weed<\/b> (Asclepias tuberosa<\/i>)
\nSimilar to its cousin, the dusty pink-flowered common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca<\/i>), butterfly weed is a host plant for monarch butterfly caterpillars. A host plant is a specific plant that a species of caterpillar will eat.\u00a0 Butterfly weed requires full sun and can grow as tall as one to two feet, with orange or yellow flowers that bloom in summer.<\/p>\n

Joe-Pye Weed<\/b> (Eutrochium maculatum<\/em>)
\nDon\u2019t let the \u201cweed\u201d in joe-pye weed fool you. The term in this case refers to the fact that it\u2019s commonly found, not that it\u2019s unwanted. \u00a0The dusty pink late-blooming flower attracts pollinators and clouds of butterflies in the late summer. The Gateway variety will grow to six or seven feet tall, where as Little Joe reaches only three to four feet.<\/p>\n

Foam Flower<\/b> (Tiarella cordifolia<\/i>)
\nAttracting small bees and butterflies, this little bottle-brush of a white flower is held above a nicely toothed leaf. There are many new varieties of foam flower that have interesting red markings on the leaves. It can spread and become a beautiful spring flowering ground cover.<\/p>\n

Columbine<\/b> (Aquilegia canadensis<\/i>)
\nThe native columbine has an orange-red flower with a yellow center and is attractive to pollinators and hummingbirds. After blooming, the delicate blue-green foliage continues to look beautiful all summer long.\u00a0And while there are many attractive species of columbines, the only one native to Massachusetts is the Aquilegia canadensis<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Maidenhair Fern<\/b> (Adiantum penduatum<\/i>)
\nThis native is one of the most delicate-looking ferns. Its thin black stems and bright green foliage add a light frothy texture to a shady garden.<\/p>\n

Many local nurseries sell native plants. Before you purchase one, make sure they were cultivated from seed. We like the wild plants to stay wild!<\/p>\n

Do you have a favorite native plant? If so, share in the comments!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

There are many reasons you should include native plants into your landscape plans. For one, most native plants require little maintenance because they have evolved to thrive in our local habitats and growing conditions. That means after the first year of making sure they are well watered and have put out roots, very little watering […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2392","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-gardening"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p3t87A-CA","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":15439,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/take-5-native-plants-that-pollinators-love\/","url_meta":{"origin":2392,"position":0},"title":"Take 5: Native Plants that Pollinators Love","author":"Ryan D.","date":"April 5, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"It's not an exaggeration to say that the biodiversity of our entire ecosystem depends on pollinators. Animals like birds, bees, bats, butterflies, moths, and other insects feed on plants, and in doing so, help 80% of the world's plant species reproduce. Over the last few decades, pollinator populations have declined\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Gardening"","block_context":{"text":"Gardening","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/category\/gardening\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Common Milkweed \u00a9 Laura Ferraguto","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2021\/04\/4577Laura_Ferraguto33550.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2021\/04\/4577Laura_Ferraguto33550.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2021\/04\/4577Laura_Ferraguto33550.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2021\/04\/4577Laura_Ferraguto33550.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":7281,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/six-native-plants-to-grow-for-pollinators\/","url_meta":{"origin":2392,"position":1},"title":"Six Native Plants to Grow for Pollinators","author":"Hillary T.","date":"March 28, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"One major way to help pollinators thrive\u2014and beautify an outdoor space\u2014is to plant a native pollinator garden. Here are six native plants to grow for pollinators.","rel":"","context":"In "Gardening"","block_context":{"text":"Gardening","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/category\/gardening\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2016\/03\/flowers_Red-Columbine_sm.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2016\/03\/flowers_Red-Columbine_sm.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2016\/03\/flowers_Red-Columbine_sm.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":12683,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/dont-ditch-the-dandelions\/","url_meta":{"origin":2392,"position":2},"title":"Don’t Ditch the Dandelions!","author":"Ryan D.","date":"May 9, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Before you mow them down or, worse, reach for the herbicide, you might want to consider giving the dandelions in your yard a second chance. How They Got Here The ubiquitous dandelions that pop up in our yards this time of year are actually native to Europe and Asia. They\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Nature Notes"","block_context":{"text":"Nature Notes","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/category\/nature-notes\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Dandelions \u00a9 Mass Audubon","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2019\/05\/DSC_0010.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2019\/05\/DSC_0010.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2019\/05\/DSC_0010.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2019\/05\/DSC_0010.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":288,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/dont-weed-the-milkweed\/","url_meta":{"origin":2392,"position":3},"title":"Don’t Weed the Milkweed!","author":"Kristin S.","date":"July 10, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"If a gardening catalog offered a plant that sported unique flowers, attracted butterflies, fed and protected the beloved monarch butterfly, provided nesting material for goldfinches and orioles, was easy to grow, and was native to our state, wouldn\u2019t we be eager to plant some in our gardens? 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