Leslie Cornell of Cornell Design & Landscaping said when her customers ask about what native plants should go into their gardens, she always cautions them that while planting indigenous varieties is worth it, it isn’t possible to have the same level of controlled perfection as a bioengineered cultivar.
“Native plants have their own mind. They’re very individual, they don’t conform to our cultivated varieties that we’re accustomed to,” Cornell explained. “So, for example, I have a beautiful phlox and I can replicate it — it grows the same no matter what I do, it’s always going to look the same.
“If I go to a native plant, so like a native strawberry, every single one of those plants is going to look a little different. They’re not going to grow the same. Understanding that makes it fun! Then you can enjoy that you’re going to have uniqueness in every plant.”
Cornell also said she advises people looking for native species not to take them from the wild. There is no need to disturb natural ecologies when garden centres like Cornell’s are already ready preparing recommended varieties for sale.
“We have wonderful native plant growers,” she said. “In fact, our garden centre will be bringing in some native plants. Those won’t be coming until well into June, and the reason for that is that native plants are smart and they aren’t even waking up until after June. Other than crocuses, of course, but again, don’t take those from the wild — enjoy them in their natural settings and purchase some native plants from a garden centre.”
Many young people starting their own gardens are now interested in native species, so there are more and more opportunities to learn about them and their unique needs. It will take a lot of education, Cornell said, because folks are used to imported plant varieties that need a lot of specialized care, such as extra watering and fertilizing.
Saskatchewan municipalities are also moving toward using indigenous plants because of how hardy they are. However, the difficulty comes back to gardeners being used to those imported varieties that tend to be predictable in how they develop.
“They always end up having to put up signage to explain to the community that these are native plantings and they’re not going to look ‘tidy’ like your traditional formal plantings,” Cornell added.
The benefits still outweigh any negatives, though, in her professional opinion. From no-till gardening that can create a thriving, resilient, self-sustaining soil base, to redirecting household organic scraps for homemade compost, to the positive environment knock-on effects of having a varied garden with lots of native species, it’s worth the extra research and investment.
Some of the most-recommended native Saskatchewan garden plants include:
Goldenrod
Wild strawberry
Wild blue flax
Early blue & Canada violets
Wild sunflowers
Wild sages
Saskatoon berries
Wild roses
Green ash
Willows
Manitoba maple
Pin & choke cherries
Native dogwoods