Benefits of Using Native Plants in the Landscape:
There are many beautiful plants available for landscaping your yard or business, most of them from far reaching areas such as Japan or Africa. It is actually sometimes quite difficult to get natives from many commercial nurseries, though those specializing in or at least offering native plants are becoming more common. Many landscapers are so used to putting in crepe myrtles and red tips, they forget that there is a wide variety of other plants out there that can enhance the beauty of your property. If you are trying to attract wildlife to your yard in addition to creating a beautiful environment for yourself, consider using native trees, shrubs, and wildflowers to provide natural foods and shelter for some of our native wildlife!
Native Azaleas...
The southeast is known for its display of azaleas in February and March. People will time their travels to try to get here to see these flambouyant displays. The plants that landscapers and homeowners tend to place in yards and around businesses are native to Japan, however. Many people are not familiar with the beauty and range of colors and blooming times for our native North American azaleas. The flowers of these shrubs range in color from white to deep red, orange to bright yellow. The hoary azalea starts blooming in March, the endangered plum-leaf azalea in late summer, with several other species in bloom at times between. These plants are treasures in the landscape, though when you buy make sure the nursery you are using is reputable enough not to dig from the wild.
The fringe tree, also known as grancy-greybeard, is a car stopper and is a wonderful addition to any landscape. They have masses of bright white flowers with narrow petals, creating the finged effect for which the tree is named and giving it a very soft look at a distance. These a wonderful small trees add flowers to the landscape and a sweet perfume to the air when the dogwoods are beginning to fade. If you want a good progession of flowering trees in your yard and you have room for all, the landscape should include a native plum, redbud, native crabapple, hawthorns, flowering dogwood, and fringe tree. If you also want your tree to produce the attractive purple fruits, you will need to plant more than one as this species has male and female trees
Don't forget about Arbor Day. Louisiana's designated day for celebrating Arbor Day is the third Friday in January (The Louisiana State Arboretum in Ville Platte, LA generally holds a celebration and tree give-away on that Saturday). Louisiana shares the first Arbor Day of the year with Florida which also celebrates on the third Friday of January. Find out when your state's Arbor Day is and if it is a date recognized by your Governor and celebrate by planting a tree!!
