Blurring the lines between the natural and the built. Welcoming nature back to our city. Helping our community build a more beautiful, sustainable, and healthy Omaha. All at the heart of what we do here.
And key to preserving the natural world around us is recognizing the plants that support entire communities of insects, birds, and other wildlife in our area.
That’s why we’re excited to expand our collection of Great Plains native plants, growing a lot more at our own Farms and working with other local specialty growers who share our passion.
Here we share three reasons why we love native plants, we discuss what “native” really means, and we invite you to stop in to find the native plants that match your style and your landscape.
Why We Love Native Plants
They Support Local Ecosystems
Any healthy ecosystem depends on a healthy community of plants – plants that are uniquely adapted to provide exactly the right food and shelter that local insects, birds, and other wildlife depend on for their survival. And we can provide the resources they need by choosing to plant native.
Chickadees are just one of countless examples – in the spring, these birds must find and bring home anywhere from 6,000 to 9,000 caterpillars to raise just one brood in the spring. While some non-native trees may only support a handful of caterpillar species, native white oak trees, as an example, can support over 500 species of caterpillars – allowing chickadees and other birds to feed their families.
They Conserve Resources
Landscapes composed of native plants tend to require less water and other inputs once they’re established – meaning less of our natural resources, time, and money needed to create beautiful, easy-care outdoor spaces. And besides needing less water and fertilizer, many native plants can help reduce the use of insecticides by attracting their own army of beneficial insects that attack damaging pests.
They Inspire Beauty
Every natural landscape has its own aesthetic – here in the Great Plains it’s flowing grasses, wildflowers, and pockets of deciduous forests – each scene offering inspiration as we bring our own built landscapes to life. Whether your heart belongs to the prairie or the deep woods, by choosing plants that are native to those places, you can bring that special landscape to your own home too.
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.
Look For Our Native Plant Logos
Native plants are the perfect choice to add resilient, easy-care beauty for a landscape that can support a healthy urban ecosystem. In the Nursery Yard, look for our native-plant logos to tell whether each plant is a native species or a native cultivar. You’ll also see which ecoregion the plant comes from too. And if at any point you have a question, just grab one of us. We’re always glad to help.
