National Wildlife Federation

How native are your native plants?

How native are your native plants?

Nowadays, the word "native" has taken on a kind of glamour among gardeners. Many a catalog or garden center makes the adjective a selling point, often promising lower maintenance and butterflies. But how native are your native plants? And does it matter?

Many virtues are claimed for native plants: They can handle the local climate, are drought-tolerant (at least if they come from the prairie) and require less maintenance (if you choose the right native plant for your garden's conditions). And native plants provide food and shelter for native wildlife.

But if you buy a pot of coneflower, tickseed, little bluestem grass or smooth hydrangea from a garden center or...