Native plants have evolved alongside local insects over thousands of years, creating specialized relationships that support entire food webs. When homeowners replace native vegetation with exotic ornamentals or vast expanses of turf grass, they effectively create what ecologists call food deserts for wildlife.
Eric Shealy, greenhouse and nursery supervisor at Riverbanks Zoo & Garden, grew up on his grandparents’ dairy farm in Saluda County, where victory gardens and vegetable production were family traditions. His transition to native plants came during an internship at Highlands Biological Station in North Carolina, which specialized exclusively in native species. “Every plant has a pollinator somewhere in the world,” Eric says, “but you can choose what you plant and the benefit of that plant to your own ecosystem.”
The relationships fascinate him — monarch butterflies that seek out milkweed plants to feed on and lay their eggs for the next generation; American goldfinches bobbing on Rudbeckia stems, methodically harvesting seeds from the large coneflowers.
“It’s nice to see your landscape being a benefit to something other than yourself,” Eric says. “I think it shows great selflessness in a gardener that they want their landscape to be beneficial.”
For Todd Beasley, owner of Primitive by Design in Columbia and director of the Botanic Garden at Georgia Southern University, native gardening addresses both environmental and maintenance concerns. His background includes directing horticulture programs in San Antonio and Charlotte before returning to Columbia.
“We’re just doing development in a way that’s not sustainable,” Todd says. “Non-natives are great, but they’re not food plants — they’re nectar plants. Over thousands upon thousands of years, our native species have evolved around native plants.”
Todd advocates for structured native designs that maintain visual appeal while supporting wildlife. In his own yard, he eliminated all grass from the front lawn, creating one giant bed of mixed natives and carefully selected non-natives that require no irrigation once established.
For his upcoming move to a new house, he plans a front yard that is 95 percent native plants, including species adapted to sandy soils like false rosemary, coral bean, and sparkleberry — a member of the blueberry family that produces small fruits valued by migrating birds.
The maintenance benefits of native gardening appeal to many homeowners beyond the environmental advantages. Once established, native plants typically require less water, fertilizer, and pest control than exotic species. Their deep root systems, often extending 2 to 8 feet underground, allow them to access moisture and nutrients unavailable to shallow-rooted lawn grasses.
“I like to push the idea of just going out there to piddle,” Todd says. “Get your glass of wine in the evening, walk around, and piddle with a little bit of weed pulling and selective pruning.”
Native garden advocates acknowledge that naturalistic landscapes can appear a bit messy to eyes accustomed to manicured lawns. But they argue this perception reflects cultural conditioning rather than inherent aesthetics.
“We don’t think of the mountains as being messy,” Terry says. “We hike in the woods. We don’t think that’s messy, but my yard looks more like that. It’s just all these different things growing.”
Eric has visited extensively designed native gardens that rival formal landscapes in beauty. At Mount Cuba Center in Delaware, which champions native plants through rigorous trials, he found inspiration for selecting cultivars that perform best in challenging conditions.
“I think the real benefit to the city of Columbia acknowledging naturalistic gardens is that they acknowledge that it’s good to have something different than just a lot of formality and dead space biologically,” Eric says.
One persistent misconception involves plant origins. Many popular garden plants that homeowners assume are exotic actually have native credentials. “Daylilies are native, but people don’t understand that,” Eric says. “Many hibiscus plants are native.”
The aesthetic argument for native plants grows stronger as more homeowners discover the seasonal drama these gardens can provide. Unlike static lawn landscapes, native gardens offer constantly changing displays as varied species bloom throughout the growing season, mirroring wild ecosystems.
For beginners interested in native gardening, experts recommend starting small with border plantings or islands of native species rather than wholesale lawn replacement. The South Carolina Native Plant Society hosts plant sales twice yearly when newcomers can see examples and consult with experienced growers. Trish particularly recommends Nature’s Action Plan by Sarah Jane Jayne, a book with checklists and worksheets that guides readers through site assessment, plant selection, and propagation techniques. Online resources include Doug Tallamy’s Homegrown National Parks initiative and the North Carolina State University Plant Toolbox, which provide detailed cultural information for plants that thrive in similar southeastern conditions.
Fall planting offers advantages for native species, allowing them to establish root systems before spring growth demands. This timing aligns with natural cycles, as many native plants begin active root growth during cooler months while preparing for the following year’s flowering and fruiting.
Columbia’s new ordinance creates a straightforward registration process for naturalistic gardens. Property owners with existing certifications from organizations like the South Carolina Wildlife Federation, Gills Creek Watershed Association, or Clemson’s Carolina Yard program simply submit documentation with a brief form that is available through partner organizations’ websites. Those without prior certification can request visits from city code enforcement officers to review their naturalistic landscaping plans.
The ordinance also addresses seasonal maintenance concerns. Rather than requiring fall cleanup that eliminates overwintering habitat for beneficial insects, registered gardens can maintain seed heads for bird feeding and leave stems at varying heights for native bee nesting sites.
The ordinance has generated interest beyond Columbia’s borders, with inquiries from Charleston and Charlotte about implementing similar policies. Making It Grow, South Carolina Educational Television’s regional gardening television program, has aired segments on native plant gardens inspired by the policy change.
When talking about the benefits of wildlife-friendly landscaping, Trish says, “I hope the ordinance will serve as a springboard to talk about native plants and to get more people familiar with them.”
As part of the construction of Riverbanks Zoo’s new Saluda Skyride, a gondola that will connect the zoo to the botanical gardens, Eric’s team is installing 6,000 to 7,000 native plant plugs in a new meadow area, demonstrating institutional commitment to the movement. The project includes hydroseeding 300,000 native seeds on a hillside that required extensive tree removal.
For Terry, the policy change validates what he discovered through trial and observation — that yards can serve as food deserts for native wildlife or as productive habitats that support complex ecological relationships. “The more of us that have wild native plants in our yards, the more we provide the base for that food pyramid,” he says. “And it’s quite entertaining, seeing the garden spider and the fritillary butterfly — just all that life happening. It’s just quite entertaining.”
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