How native plants can make your yard wildlife-friendly
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A butterfly on swamp milkweed. Photo: Courtesy of Lindsey Kerr, MSU Extension
Calling all hummingbird fans! If you want plants that attract them to your yard, look no further than Native Plant Month.
Why it matters: It's easy to agree with the idea of planting native — it provides the best food for local wildlife and conserves our habitats.
- It's another thing to put native planting into practice, but local experts say it doesn't have to be prohibitively difficult.
State of play: The Garden Club of America has worked since 2022 to establish April as Native Plant Month in all 50 states to promote their cultivation.
- As of last year, 44 states now celebrate it — including Michigan since 2023.
What they're saying: "Don't let perfection be the enemy of good. Any native plant is better than no native plants," says Lindsey Kerr, a horticulture educator for MSU Extension based in Wayne County.
- Gardeners should ultimately aim for 70% native, but 50% may be an easier goal, Kerr says.
Zoom out: Native plant usage has been on the rise for years, though an industry survey estimated just 10%-17% of national nursery plant production is native species.
Between the lines: Find your county's native plants on MichiganFlora.net or through Wild Ones. Keep Growing Detroit also sells them in Eastern Market.
- The right planning, combinations and choices mean little to no maintenance, watering and fertilizing because the plants are so suited to the climate.
🌾 Zoom in: Kerr and Meredith Simpson, a member of the Garden Club of Michigan, shared some native Metro Detroit plants to try.
- Some classic flowers, like black-eyed Susans.
- Columbine and Cardinal flowers to attract hummingbirds.
- Swamp or butterfly milkweed and New England aster for supporting monarch caterpillars and butterflies.
- Anise hyssop, which gives off a licorice scent.
- Native perennial grasses like little bluestem.
For apartment-dwellers and non-gardeners:
- Even potted native plants on a balcony can make a difference, Kerr notes.
- Those interested can also volunteer at the Greening of Detroit, Cadillac Urban Gardens and many others — or help remove invasive species.
Worthy of your time: Visit native plants this spring and summer at the three-acre Oudolf Garden on Belle Isle, which offers a combination of native and non-native flowers and grasses.
- "We always tell people the garden changes every two weeks, so just keep coming back," says Simpson, also COO of Friends of the Oudolf Garden.