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Hello! Welcome!
We are so glad you are here! This page is a great place to start on your native plant journey. You'll find some useful information, lists of our favorite plants for newbies, and more information on how you can support our local wildlife.
What is a Native Plant?
For all intents and purposes we consider a native plant one that occurred here naturally prior to large European settlement. Native people moved plants around for production and collection. But that's different from bringing in a species from another continent.
Here are some top reasons:
Wildlife:
Sustainability:
Restorative:
Climate Change:
Soil Stabilization:
Why Native?
Why We Love Scientific Names but Common Names are Good Too!
Prior to Carl Linnaeus developing a system of classification and for naming things in the world Canis familiaris (dog!), or Monarda fistulosa (Bee balm) plants were named very regionally. So what you might call "Shadbush" your cousin may call "Serviceberry" and your other cousin may call it "Juneberry". It can get awfully confusing but but Amelanchier canadensis is the same thing and there's only one botanical name.
Amelanchier is the Genus and there are other Amelanchier species such as the Amelanchier alnifolia, Amelanchier arborea, and Amelanchier humilis, and so on. These are all different species but have similarities to Amelanchier canadensis. There is only one Amelanchier canadensis as that is the genus and the species name together.
Scientific names often describe a plant. Monarda punctata for example. (add info)
"Scientific name" is also called "botanical name", "binomial nomenclature", or "Latin name" (although plant names are a mix of Latin and Greek). But you don't need to know any of this to bring plants home! We know common names too!
What is a Native Plant?
There are several definitions we can apply to "what" makes something native. For all intents and purposes we consider a native plant one that occurred here naturally prior to large European settlement.
Native people moved plants around for production and collection. But that's different from bringing in a burining bush from Asia.
What is a Native Plant?
There are several definitions we can apply to "what" makes something native. For all intents and purposes we consider a native plant one that occurred here naturally prior to large European settlement.
Native people moved plants around for production and collection. But that's different from bringing in a burining bush from Asia.
What is a Native Plant?
There are several definitions we can apply to "what" makes something native. For all intents and purposes we consider a native plant one that occurred here naturally prior to large European settlement.
Native people moved plants around for production and collection. But that's different from bringing in a burining bush from Asia.
When to Plant
A lot of new gardeners believe, based on traditional garden center timing, that they have to plant in April and be done. That is not at all how we look at planting native. Any time you plant native is a good time! Native plants can be planted any time of the year you can work the soil. July and August you will have to add more supplemental water.
How to Plant
A lot of new gardeners believe, based on traditional garden center timing, that they have to plant in April and be done. That is not at all how we look at planting native. Any time you plant native is a good time! Native plants can be planted any time of the year you can work the soil. July and August you will have to add more supplemental water.
You've Planted...Now What?!
A lot of new gardeners believe, based on traditional garden center timing, that they have to plant in April and be done. That is not at all how we look at planting native. Any time you plant native is a good time! Native plants can be planted any time of the year you can work the soil. July and August you will have to add more supplemental water.
Some Helpful Tips
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Native plants are just plants. They need soil, rain and sun. You don't need to be an expert to plant native.
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Pick the plant to fit the soil you already have rather than trying to change the soil to find the plants you wanted. You shouldn't need to use any fertilizer with native plants.
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Our website is a great tool for finding plants that fit your needs. You can filter by sun, soil, height, bloom time, wildlife, etc. For example here is a search for perennials for sun, moist soil, and deer resistance. You can clear the filters and make your own.
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Depending on the time of the year and the weather you'll want to water well just for the first few weeks. Trees and shrubs will take longer to establish. If you put the right plants in the right soil you should not need to supplementally water your plants after that.
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Plants generally look great in large swaths. So if you are going to buy ten plants consider buying all the same or 5 each of two species. Also, odd numbers look better to the eye.
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We love questions from newer gardeners sp feel free to email us any time info@bluestemnatives.com. All questions are worthwhile.
Duration: 1 hour
What is a Host Plant?
Host plants are plants that an organism lives on and lives off of. Insects from the microscopic to the massive use plants as hosts. For our purpose, we will chat insects, specifically we'll focus on Lepidoptera. 🐛🦋
Doug Tallamy is a beloved entomologist whose research indicates that 90ish%+ of insects need a specific plant(s) to survive. These insects are called SPECIALISTS. The very small remainder are GENERALISTS and can consume whatever comes their way.
One SPECIALIST we all know and love is the Monarch Butterfly. Monarch butterflies lay their eggs on any milkweed plant (Asclepias spp.) because their caterpillars can only consume milkweed. Wicked smaht. As an adult form, the Monarch butterfly can fly away and drink nectar from a wide range of plants BUT at their larval stage, the caterpillar, they can only survive and grow on milkweed. No milkweed=no more Monarchs.
This is a tiny list of other specialists and their HOST PLANTS, several are ENDANGERED in Massachusetts:
• American lady : pussytoes (Antennaria spp.)
• Spicebush swallowtail : spicebush (Lindera benzoin)+
• Henry's elfin : blueberries (Vaccinium spp.)+
• Luna moth : shagbark hickory (Carya glabra)+
• New Jersey Tea inchworm : New Jersey tea (Ceanothus americanus)
• Frosted elfin : wild indigo (Baptisia tinctoria)+
• Pink streak : switchgrass (Panicum virgatum)
and the list goes ON and ON and ON...
What can you do? PLANT NATIVE!
For more reading:
Superfoods in the Insect Garden
List of Endangered, Threatened, and Special Concern Sepcies
Monarchs
Let's talk Monarchs with the caveat that we have an ulterior motive. We want you to understand that there are SO many butterflies just like the Monarch that are threatened by human activity. If you haven't read the "What is a Host Plant" tab above, click on that first and then come back here. We'll wait!
Monarchs are big, beautiful, easy to identify, and have a heroic migration. They are absolutely fascinating. So it's understandable that we are all so in awe of them. So what's happening with them and what can we do?
How did monarch butterflies become threatened?
Monarch caterpillars rely on a single plant genus for sustenance. The plants in the Asclepias (Milkweed) genus are the host plants for monarch larvae, and have become the only plants that the caterpillars can eat while they grow through their stages of being a caterpillar. As increased usage of herbicides, human population growth, and agricultural spread occurred, many of the naturally occurring milkweed plants were destroyed, drastically reducing the availability of the only food source these insects can survive on.
What can we do?
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Plant milkweed, and then plant more milkweed, and then tell your neighbors they should plant some milkweed.
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Don't spray, even the "natural" mosquito spray is indescriminate insecticide.
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Put up a sign so people know you are planting for wildlife.
(add link to e-book)
Insects!
Host plants are plants that an organism lives on and lives off of. Insects from the microscopic to the massive use plants as hosts. For our purpose, we will chat insects, specifically we'll focus on Lepidoptera.+