Native Plants & Low Maintenance Landscapes
Article By: Jessica Warren, ANR Agent, Camden County
Landscaping and gardening can be challenging in Coastal Georgia, however there are some simple choices and changes in mindset that can lessen that challenge. The two main concepts that we’ll keep coming back to are planting native plants, and putting the right plant in the right place.
What makes a landscape low maintenance? A low maintenance landscape requires little to no irrigation once established. Plants should thrive easily with few disease and insect pressures. Because plants thrive easily, they should require very low to no inputs (fertilizer, pesticides, store bought amendments, etc.). There should also be less labor and expense required. When plants are thriving in the right habitat, they should be able to outcompete most weeds and handle the naturally occurring pressures from insects and the environmental conditions that cause disease. So how do we create this low maintenance landscape? Planting plants that are native to our area is one of the most important steps. There are more than one hundred distinct environments of plant communities in Georgia, so keep in mind that something native to north or middle Georgia may not be native here. Plants grow where they do because they have finely adjusted over time to the local environment. In our area this means that they are adapted to our poor coastal soils, high heat and humidity, coastal storms, mild winters, sand/salt exposure, drainage issues and high water table – as well as the predators, insects, diseases, and pests of our area. Planting native plants helps to preserve the natural ecosystem in our increasingly developed world. Native plants not only provide habitat for wildlife, pollinators, and beneficial insects, but also provide better nutrition for our wild friends than non-native plants do. In fact, many native pollinators, beneficial insects, and wildlife can only feed on and/or complete their life cycles on native plants that they have evolved with over time.
Whether planting native or non-native plants, it’s critical to put the right plant in the right place. Each plant has different needs when it comes to sunlight, soil moisture and drainage, salt tolerance, spacing, and heat/cold tolerances. Planting a species that’s adapted to shade in full sun will lead to its eventual demise (dogwoods are a good example of this). Likewise, planting a species that prefers well drained soils in an area with a high water table and/or poorly drained soils will lead to its demise. Another important consideration is to space your plants and choose their site based on how large they will become when mature, not the size that they are when you buy them. For example, live oaks shouldn’t be used as landscape plants unless you have space for them to grow to approximately 80ft in diameter. Hardiness zones matter too. Each plant you buy is labeled with what zones it will grow in. These reference the USDA Plant Hardiness Zones. Depending where you are in the county, you’re probably in 8b or 9a. Plants that are not suitable for these zones will never thrive here.
When planting for a low maintenance landscape it’s important to plant using proper techniques (this varies depending on what you’re planting). In order to establish strong roots, watering should be deep and infrequent after the plant is established. A well-established and mulched landscape often won’t need watering at all. We want to water deeply when we water because we want the roots to grow deep in the soil in order to access water. Shallow roots lead to a weak plant that can’t withstand stress. Watch for signs of drought stress before watering. Watering should never be on a set or timed schedule. In our area more landscape plants (and house plants) die from overwatering than underwatering.
The finishing touch to your low maintenance landscape is utilizing natural mulch and ground cover. Leaves and natural fallen debris provide free mulch that retains soil moisture, feeds soil and improves soil structure as it decomposes, offers naturally appropriate nutrition to native plants, reduces erosion and crusting of soils, and offers habitat and overwintering sites to pollinators and beneficial insects. On top of everything else – it saves you time, effort, and money!
There are many local resources for those looking to source and learn about native plants and which species would be suitable for their landscape. The Georgia Green Landscape Stewards Program is a great resource for this, as is the UGA EcoScapes Native Plant Search Engine. Another great resource is the local non-profit Coastal WildScapes, who in addition to their online and event resources, offers two native plant sales per year. I’m am always here and glad to help with your plant questions, but please keep in mind that I am not a landscape designer – that’s a totally different field of study!