There are so many reasons to find an area for native plants in your lawn. Native plants create beautiful garden areas with less work and cost.

Facts about Native plants:

  • Help conserve water
  • Reduce mowing, labor, fertilizer and pest management costs
  • Provide a habitat for birds, butterflies and other wildlife
  • Protect and enrich the soil
  • Help preserve a sense of place through plants that naturally define our corner of this planet
  • Usually hardier and less susceptible to pests and diseases
  • Thrive with less water, in a wide range of soils and fertility, in sun or shade conditions
  • Work well alone, or in combination with, non-native species in most garden designs
  • Attract butterflies and other wildlife
  • Can stabilize soil
  • Beautify wetlands
  • Fill in a shade garden

Planning for Native Plants:

  • Plan to have blooms of different colors all season long
  • Select plants for their suitability to the site(s) you wish to plant
  • Sunny prairie grasses and flowers
  • Woodland
  • Water gardens
  • Remove or kill unwanted vegetation in the area you want to plant
  • Plant in lightly cultivated soil in March or early April

Find a vast collection of native wildlife and grass information and other resources at www.wildflower.org. In particular, look at their special collection of plants that are recommended for each state. For KC area gardeners, purchase plants that are recommended for Missouri since the Kansas City climate is more typical of Missouri than western or central Kansas.

Native grasses are perennial that will reproduce from seed and/or rhizomes. Most native wildflowers are annuals but will reproduce from seed year after year. You may want to add new varieties or replenish old species from time to time.

Whether you have large areas or just a few containers to fill, native wildflowers can be very rewarding. If you have questions about the best area in your lawn for native plants, do not hesitate to contact your Martz Bros. Lawn Care Certified Lawn and Tree Technician at (913)789-9333.

Native Plant Black Eyed Susan