Natural landscaping continues to gain popularity with cabin and lake home owners who seek an environment that is indigenous and sustainable. Here are ten more reasons to go native with your cabin scenery:
- Blend. Native plantings create yards that blend into natural surroundings, rather than stand out with Eurasian-born transplants.
- Plant for the future. Be proud of America’s history. Plant the flora that was here before us, the plant life that will sustain itself for future generations.
- Get off the lawnmower and enjoy your weekend! When matched with your site conditions, native plants need little to no watering, weeding and fertilizers. Unlike groomed lawns, native landscaping doesn’t need weekly mowing and maintenance.
- Native plants attract native butterflies! Many caterpillars feed exclusively on one type of plant before transforming into their beautiful adult form. Plant milkweed to see the monarchs.
- Attract birds. Go beyond your birdfeeder and create a native plant feeding station that doubles as habitat through the year. Plant a few Cupplants and watch goldfinches and indigo buntings eat the ripened seeds during late summer.
- Stabilize delicate shorelines and slopes. Deep-rooted native plants collect and filter more storm-water runoff than shallow rooted lawngrasses, stabilizing shorelines and slopes. Joe pye weed, fox sedge and alder along your shoreline work well.
- Natural mosquito repellent. If you hate mosquitoes, plant native plants! Dragonflies and other invertebrate predators will flock to your yard like a brigade in search of their evening meal.
- Beauty. There are thousands of choices of wildflowers, grasses, shrubs and trees to add bright colors, textures, and native beauty to your landscape.
- Plant for success. Native plants are superior groundcovers where bluegrass turf fails. If your lawn isn’t thriving, seek a native alternative. For dry, acid, sandy soils, plant wild blueberry plants.
- Create a loon habitat. Loons are a symbol of the serenity that cabin life on our Midwestern lakes brings. Creating and protecting their native habitat is critical if we want to keep this symbol alive.
