5 Reasons to Add Native Plants to Your Landscape

003 (4)Native plants add rich color, texture and dimension to your home’s landscape and living in the Harrisburg, Lancaster, or York are of Pennsylvania there are plenty of choices. Not only do they beautify your property, but they benefit the local ecosystem’s sustainability.

Here are five reasons why you should add native plants to your south central Pennsylvania landscape:

1. You’re helping the local ecosystem. Native plants existed in Pennsylvania before European settlers arrived to our shores. And these settlers brought their European native plants with them to the New World. Yet, the wildlife in our area depended on, and still does depend, on our local plant life. Matter of fact, you could look at the ecosystem as interdependent, meaning that native plants depend on the local soil to grow, the local wildlife depends on the native plants to feed them, and the local wildlife feeds the soil with its waste.

2. You’re adding natural beauty to your landscape. No one can deny that native plants come in a variety of shapes, sizes, dimensions, colors and scents. And by adding them to your landscape, you’re adding interest to your property that your guests will be awed by every time they visit you.

3. You can be a part of saving bees and other pollinators. The bee population is in crisis with dwindling numbers. Many people will think, “Okay, we won’t be stung as much.”

However, bees are vital to our food system. If bees aren’t thriving and pollinating our plants that are needed for our food sources, such as clover for cows to munch on, then we could be endangering our food supply.

4. You can dig into your Pennsylvania heritage. Even if you’re not a born and bred Pennsylvanian, you can learn a lot about the people who settled in Penn’s Woods. There are even Pennsylvania museums that still grow natives as a teaching tool. So, not only can you include natives in your landscaping, but you can also join other networks and visit places to learn more about this type of plant media.

5. You can create a place of interest and education into your backyard. Do you have grandchildren? Are there birdwatchers in your social circle? A great way to engage different age groups and people with varied interests is to create a native garden that brings a large diversity of bees, birds, and other wildlife to your patio while you’re hosting an intimate dinner.

There are a wide variety of Pennsylvania native plants available in Dauphin, Lancaster, and York Counties. River Valley Landscapes has been a leader in incorporating native plants into people’s gardens for over 20 years. Matter of fact, they used the economic law of supply and demand with local nurseries to bring in more Pennsylvania native plants. Now, native plants are a hot commodity in today’s garden centers and nurseries.

If you would like to learn more about adding native plants to your landscape, call River Valley Landscapes at 1-800-455-8666 or fill out their contact form at