At the heart of everything we do lies a deep respect for plants. This, and growing and planting the kinds of plants that help our community build a more beautiful, sustainable Omaha to live in and enjoy.
That’s why our native plant program is so important to us. And why we are excited to grow our program by more than double this year.
By choosing to grow and plant native species and cultivars in our landscapes and across our city, we’ve made a commitment to support the natural community of insects, birds, and other wildlife that depend on these plants for survival.
What’s In Store This Year
Here is a list of the native species our Farms team is growing and will have in the Nursery Yard for you to take home and for our Landscape team to install in projects across our community.
What is “Native?”
The word “native” is sometimes a loose term, but generally, native plants are those that have lived naturally in a region without humans bringing them there. The term can have more specific definitions too, involving the plant’s origin and genetic history. In our collection, we describe our native plants as either “native species” or “native cultivars.”
Native Species
Native species are those that have lived naturally in a given area, adapting alongside the other species living there. In most cases, they’ve grown from seed, and there are subtle differences – in every bur oak, every purple coneflower, every black-eyed Susan – that give the species resiliency to overcome new and changing pressures over time.
Native Cultivars
Sometimes a plant deviates even further from the norm – it’s one purple-leaved penstemon in a sea of green, one elm that withstood a new disease, or one juniper that grew up like a column. As these gems are discovered, their traits are preserved through the art of plant propagation and plant breeding to produce identical plants or offer new cultivars for our landscapes. Sometimes the result isn’t far from the original species. Other times, a native cultivar might be distinctly different from what you’d find in the wild – both aesthetically and functionally.
Where We Stand
To most closely mimic and support our natural ecosystems and their biodiversity, we recommend choosing locally native species when possible – those that naturally occur in the nearby landscape. But cultivars that are of native parentage can often provide similar benefits. And with traits like compact size, disease-resistance, or bloom color, they may be the right solution for your unique landscape goals.
Discover Something New in Our Expanded Native Plant Collection
We’re excited to offer these amazing plants to help you create your own native plant community in your landscape. Stop in to browse our plants of the Great Plains and find the perfect ones to fit your location and style. And if you have any questions or need ideas, our team is always here to help!
