Usually when people think sustainable landscaping they think native plants.  Gardening with natives is often the best fit for the local climate meaning they require less maintenance from the homeowner and also less water.  There are approximately 1,000 total native plant species in Maryland (in the same space in California, there can be as many as 10,000 native species). Maryland has three separate zonal variations from the tidal marshes on the Eastern Shore through piedmont in Montgomery County all the way to the Alleghany Mountains.  This means that what is native in one part of Maryland may be different in a different region. 

 The regions are more about elevation and distance from the coast than they are about political boundaries.  The way the native plants change in the environment is based the ecological climax community which dictates the plants that can thrive in that particular region.   The ecological climax community that most of us in Montgomery County fit into is what is now known as the Temperate Deciduous Forest.  This Temperate Deciduous Forest in the United States ranges from Georgia to Vermont and many of the native plants that are found here would also be found throughout that multistate region.  The trees that are native to Maryland are really just trees that live in Maryland, which is just a small part of this Eastern Temperate Hardwood Forest.   Some great examples of plants native to the Temperate Deciduous Forest region of the Eastern United States are:

1. Shrubs: Azalea, Rhododendron, Mountain Laurel, Nandina, Barberry, American Holly
2. Trees: American Flowering Dogwood, Service Berry, Sweetbay Magnolia, Red Maples, River Birch, Eastern Red Cedar, Hemlock
3. Perennials: Black Eyed Susan, Sweet Woodruff, Bear Berry, Yarrow, Columbine, Gallardia

Government Incentives for landscaping with native plants:

This program provides $25.00 off when purchasing a native tree from participating nurseries such as Evans Homes and Gardens.

Leaves for Neighborhoods

$25.00 off when purchasing a native tree over $75.00 from participating nurseries such as Evans Homes and Gardens.  May be used in conjunction with the Marylanders Plant Trees coupon.

Virginia has a website with great information regarding native and invasive species.  Read more about landscaping with natives

Back to newsletter archives