Native plants: why are they important?

A few years ago you hardly heard anyone talking about them, but nowadays they are popping up everywhere: native plants. But what exactly are native plants and why are they getting more and more attention? Our sustainable garden expert Amanda gives a crash course. Thanks, Amanda!

Crash course in native plants

When you think of a green garden, you immediately picture a garden full of lovely plants and flowers. But that is not the whole story. A garden in which plants, animals and soil life truly thrive requires a number of deliberate choices. Choosing the right plants is one of them. Native plants in particular play an important role in this. We call plants native if they have occurred here since the last ice age, some ten thousand years ago. By ‘here’, we do not just mean the Netherlands, because plants of course do not recognise national borders. Their distribution is primarily hindered by seas and mountain ranges. In this case, the area extends roughly into Germany and France. Native plants are well adapted to the local soil and climate.

Top: native plants: oxeye daisy, cornflower, wild chamomile and dead-nettle. Bottom: orange tip butterfly which depends on cuckoo flower (the purple native flower on the right).

Native plants provide balance

The great thing about native plants is that their life cycle is closely linked to that of all kinds of animals. They have lived together for many generations, are well attuned to each other and sometimes even dependent on one another. Take the caterpillar of the orange tip butterfly. For its food, it depends on the cuckoo flower and garlic mustard. The butterfly lays her eggs on these plants and as soon as they hatch, the caterpillars begin to eat them. So without these plants, there is no orange tip. And that brings us to the next aspect of this crash course in native plants: plants that butterflies and other insects depend on to reproduce are called host plants. So if you choose native plants, you increase their chances of survival and attract more life to your garden. And you understand that this has a knock-on effect: if you have more insects in your garden, you also attract more insect-eaters such as birds, hedgehogs and frogs. And before you know it, you have your own native zoo!

Exotic plants

Besides native plants, there are also non-native plants. Plants that are not originally from our country and have been introduced here are called non-native. These species generally have far fewer relationships with the animals that live here. For example, the native pedunculate oak is linked to as many as four hundred animal species, whereas bamboo hardly has any such specific relationship with Dutch animals. Well, alright: bamboo can serve as a hiding place and protection against the cold. Native plants also have the advantage that they are well adapted to our climate. This makes them stronger and they last longer than plants that do not occur here naturally.

Non-naturalised alien plants cannot establish themselves permanently without human help. Many agricultural crops fall into this category. Leeks and broad beans, for example, do very well here, but cannot reproduce without human assistance. The same applies to rosemary. Precisely because these plants cannot seed themselves, they pose no threat to native species. However, some alien plants have another disadvantage: their leaves decompose with difficulty, both on the ground and on the compost heap. The northern red oak and cherry laurel are well-known examples of this.

Native plants

Besides native and non-native plants, there are also naturalised plants. These are species that arrived in our country a long time ago, for example because people brought them over or animals spread the seeds. If a plant is subsequently able to survive in our climate under its own steam, without human help, we call them naturalised. They have since earned a permanent place in our nature. The snowy mespilus is an example of this.

A group we are less happy with are invasive alien species. These plants are able to establish and spread themselves so effectively that they crowd out native species. Well-known examples are the giant hogweed and Japanese knotweed. The latter can even cause damage to houses and roads with its huge root system. Controlling invasive alien species is often very difficult. Since 2016, a European ban has been in place on the possession, trade, cultivation and transport of a number of these invasive species.

Do you have to use exclusively native plants?

No, that is not necessary. You can fill the vast majority of your garden with native plants and alongside those use species from other parts of Europe that also do well here. When choosing non-native plants, do make sure they offer something for wildlife, for example by providing pollen, nectar or berries. They can also help to make the flowering period as long as possible. Ideally, something should be in flower for insects all year round, and that is not always possible with native plants alone. And, of course, the eye wants something pleasing as well. Several factors therefore play a part when choosing plants: the location, the function of the planting and what the overall design looks like. A good planting plan is always an enjoyable puzzle. A few favourites in a row:

More native plants in your garden

Conclusion: you don't have to overhaul your entire garden right away. Even with a few extra native plants, you give insects and other animals more food, shelter and places to reproduce. That fits in fine alongside other species already in your garden. With a bee arch (also known as the flower arch) can you then ensure that something is in bloom throughout the year. With new plants, pay attention not only to the species, but also to how they have been grown. Organic and toxin-free plants are a better choice for the animals that you actually want to lure to your garden. In our list of organic plant shops you will find plenty of inspiration to get started.

Sources: NVWA. Photo credits: thegreenlist.nl (main image), natuur-dichtbij, Amanda Sniekers.