The birds and the bees and the environment will thank you for planting native species in your garden. Native plants are low-maintenance, often drought-tolerant, and suited for our local climate. They also attract beneficial pollinators, insects, and birds. Join us for our annual Native Plant Sale, October 1 & 2, 2016. See below in this post a list of plants we’re offering.
Local grower Native Plant Nursery will have woody plants and shrubs for sale.
Matthaei Botanical Gardens
1800 N. Dixboro Rd.
Ann Arbor, MI 48105
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Native Plants—A Heritage Worth Protecting
Learn what a native vs. an invasive plant is and why planting natives is a good idea.
What is a native plant?
Plants that are “native” to Michigan have grown here for thousands of years. Michigan’s native plants have adapted over the centuries as glaciers, rivers, storms, and fire have shaped the landscape. Our native plants evolved together with other plants, animals and fungi, forming complex webs of relationships known as ecosystems.
What is an invasive plant?
Non-native plants, on the other hand, evolved in other parts of the world. When humans travel, we often carry (both intentionally and unintentionally) plants from other parts of the world. Some of these non-native plants have become invasive, spreading into natural areas. A non-native plant that spreads aggressively and crowds out native plants is called an invasive plant.
Why are native plants and ecosystems important?
Since native plants co-evolved with our native animals, these plants provide the ideal food and shelter for our native wildlife. Native plants are also especially adapted to our soil and weather conditions; so native plants are perfectly designed to filter water and produce oxygen for our region.
Biodiversity—a variety of living things—keeps ecosystems healthy. A diverse animal community needs a wide variety of plants. When an invasive plant, such as buckthorn, enters an ecosystem it can replace hundreds of native plant species with one monotonous stand of buckthorn.
If we cultivate and protect native plants, we can preserve the precious biodiversity of our state!
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Images of some of the plants for sale (click on the common name to see an picture of the plant form the University of Michigan Herbarium):
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| Columbine (Aquilegia canadensis) |
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| Great blue lobelia (Lobelia silphitica) |
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| Nodding wild onion (Allium cernuum) |
2016 Native Plant Sale list – Matthaei Botanical Gardens, Sat. & Sun., Oct. 1 & 2
Plant Name Common Name
Allium cernuum Nodding Wild Onion
Andropogon gerardii Big Bluestem
Aquilegia canadensis Columbine
Asclepias incarnata Swamp Milkweed
Asclepias syriaca Common Milkweed
Asclepias tuberosa Butterfly-weed
Carex grayi Gray’s Sedge
Echinacea purpurea Purple Coneflower
Eryngium yuccifolium Rattlesnake Master
Eurybia macrophylla Big-leaved Aster
Fragaria virginiana Wild Strawberry
Heuchera americana Alum Root
Liatris aspera Rough Blazing Star
Lobelia siphilitica Great Blue Lobelia
Monarda fistulosa Wild Bergamot
Monarda punctata Dotted Mint; Horse Mint
Penstemon digitalis Foxglove Beard-tongue
Ratibida pinnata Yellow Coneflower
Rudbeckia triloba Three-lobed Coneflower
Solidago flexicaulis Zig-zag Goldenrod
Sorghastrum nutans Indian Grass
Thalictrum dasycarpum Purple Meadow Rue
Verbena hastata Blue Vervain
