Gardening passion blows in with warmer, wetter spring weather. Visions of flowers, butterflies and bees dance in our heads as the world awakens once more. When pondering what to plant to create a dreamy landscape, make native plants central to the plan. Native plants provide food, nursery habitat and shelter for critters large and small. Native plants have been evolving in this environment for a very long time and are well adapted to the Southern land and climate. They restore health to the ecology from the soil up. Native plants and flowers can easily replace traditionally landscaped plants. To learn more, Rowan Public Library (RPL) offers a wide variety of free resources and events to help design a native intensive garden.
On May 28, Rowan Public Library is partnering with Rowan Redbuds to host a program on Sustainable Southern Gardens by Kristy Anderson from Dearness Gardens Nursery and Landscaping. Local and family owned for over 30 years, Dearness Gardens Nursery specializes in native trees, shrubs and perennials, pollinator plants, organic gardening, and unique evergreen and specimen trees. Anderson will focus on native and pollinator plants, best practices for sustainability and conservation, and how we can all do our part to support our local biome and independently owned garden centers. This program will be held at RPL’s Headquarters location at 201 W. Fisher Street in Salisbury on May 28 at 1 p.m., and is free and open to the public. For more information, call 704-216-8218.
A deeper understanding of the importance of planting natives can be found in Georgann Eubanks’ book “Saving the Wild South: The Fight for Native Plants on the Brink of Extinction.” Eubanks talks about endangered native plants and the fight to protect and save them. This book is available for check out from the library and is also available as an eBook which can be checked out on any smart device or computer from N.C. Digital Library with a library card number and PIN.
Insects also play an important role in the whole ecosystem. “Bugs that Rule the World,” a PBS series on the world-wide insect “apocalypse,” explains the role insects play in the ecosystems they live in and how their populations are being decimated. Native plants feed and house insects in ways that non-natives do not. One statistic found that a native plant will feed up to 35 times more insects than a non-native plant, and some insects co-evolved with native plants so they can only eat that plant. To learn more, stream this series free on any smart device by visiting rowanpubliclibrary.org -> RPL Online – > Digital Materials and Resources -> Podcasts & Video -> Access Video on Demand.
For inspiration landscaping with natives, look no further than the eBook “Community Eco-Gardens: Landscaping with Native Plants” by Dennis Swiftdeer Paige. Swiftdeer Paige offers a variety of landscaping suggestions for using native plants for different purposes and includes colorful photos of mature gardens showing beautiful results. This eBook is available 24/7 from N.C. Digital Library with a library card number and PIN.
Discover a whole new world of native plants with “Native Plants of the Southeast: A Comprehensive Guide to the Best 460 Species for the Garden,” by Larry Mallichamp. This guide offers a colorful menagerie of 460 native species for every landscaping need.
For the home gardener, “Designing Gardens with Flora of the American East” by Carolyn Summers and Kate Brittenham offers native substitutes for designer plants and includes special focus on trees, shrubs, perennials and grasses. This book, as well as Mallinchamp’s, may be checked out from the library and delivered to any RPL branch for pick up.
Native plants are hearty old souls that will bring life back to a garden, a yard, and an ecosystem for many years to come. Let Rowan Public Library help you find native plant solutions to make a flourishing garden. For more information, visit RPL’s website https://ift.tt/zVwmWNt, call 980-432-8670, or visit your nearest RPL branch.
P.L. Stiles is adult outreach librarian at Rowan Public Library.
