Landscape with natives

Go Native at Home

An example landscape plan & plant list for an HOA friendly native landscape

Go Native on Common Areas

Save money & have a beautiful entryway with our native landscape plans

Landscape with Natives

​Why landscape with natives?
In a world where it can feel tough to make an impact, you have the opportunity to change your community right outside your front door!  Our home landscapes have become centered upon turf grass and non-native, sometimes invasive plants that provide very little in terms of pollinator food and shelter, clean water, erosion control, water absorption, and more.  The good news is, we can make a difference by being stewards of the land around our home and setting an example for our neighbors and communities. 
​What is a native plant?
“A plant or animal that has evolved in a given place over a period of time sufficient to develop complex and essential relationships with the physical environment and other organisms in a given ecological community.” 
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Native plants are essential because they are the foundation of our ecosystems. They have unique relationships with local wildlife and pollinators. Without native plants those pollinators cannot exist.
​Why have we shifted to turf and non-natives?
Post World War II, a turfgrass lawn increasingly became seen as a status symbol of the “perfect” property.  This idea was a construct of savvy marketing, the invention of irrigation and low cost of water, and suburban sprawl of communities with larger parcels. Retailers focused on exotic, non-native plants that were “new” or “different”.  In modern times, issues such as water quality, pollinator decline, air pollution, invasive plants, and water availability are driving us to rethink the perfect landscape.
 
Most retailers have offered non-native plants that have come to dominate the home landscape—some of which have become invasive. These non-native plants do not have the critical relationships with native wildlife or provide the ecological benefits that our ecosystem and communities depend on.
​Many people associate “native” with hard to manage or too unruly for a home landscape but that is not true! There are many beautiful natives that fit well in a residential landscape.  Native plants are adjusted to our local weather, climate, pests, soils, and conditions making them great choices for our yards.

Benefits of natives in the home landscape
  • Require less (or no) herbicides and pesticides—healthier for your family and pets.
  • Reduce runoff from your property! The deep roots of natives increase stormwater absorption and allow the soil to filter the water.
  • Require less water/irrigation.
  • Native plants are colorful, unique, interesting—beautiful!
  • Native plants are an important part of our culture and local heritage.
  • Observing native birds & insects.
Filterable plant lists (excel)
The full planting plans and plant lists are available at the top of this page (PDF).   However, below, you can find excel versions of the plant list. You can use Excel's filter or sort features to help select species. 
A note on 'nativars' verses native species
​In the planting list you will see both “straight species” and “nativar” listings.  Straight species are the naturally occurring species which includes the natural diversity within a stand of a species. These species maintain the relationships our pollinators depend on by providing the same plant characteristics over thousands of years (bloom time, color, shape, seed or pollen production, etc.). The diversity of their genes makes them more adaptable in the face of changing conditions. A cultivar Is a cultivated variety of another plant. Most cultivars are created by cloning and therefore have no genetic diversity. These plants are selected for specific traits such as flower color or shape, plant size, growth habit, longer bloom times, pest resistance, etc.  A cultivar of a native plant is often referred to as a “nativar”. Some nativars produce sterile flowers and seeds which gives them no value to birds and other pollinators.  Cultivars are often named and trademarked.  A cultivar will typically have a name associated and on the plant tag ex. ‘Blue Muffin’ Viburnum, ‘Bradford’ Pear, etc. 

There are many opinions on the use of cultivars and nativars.  In general, we recommend using the straight species whenever possible.  Some nativar species may have as high ecological value as straight species natives but, in many cases, this is not proven.  That being said, there are particular planting situations, particularly in a home landscape, where a nativar might be your best choice.  Consider setting a percentage goal for your property to be straight species versus nativar versus non-native.  100%/0%/0%?  75/25/0%?  60%/20%/20%?  It’s up to you!  If you do choose to use nativars, avoid any varieties that have significant changes to bloom color and shape as altering these characteristics typically makes pollen, nectar, or seeds, unavailable to pollinators.
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More info:
Grow Native. org
What's the difference between native, nativar, and nativar?
Hamilton County Invasives Partnership- Nativars

Native garden certification & signage

Certify your native garden

Certify Your Native Garden with the Indiana Native Plant Society and become eligible for an awesome natives sign.
Where to purchase native plants
Native plants are increasingly available via seasonal local sales, at select retailers, and via shipping from select, reputable online Midwestern vendors.
See our list of seasonal sales and vendors via the button below.   Additionally, the Indiana Native Plant Society (INPS) maintains the Buy Indiana Natives Directory which lists vendors who sell native species and DO NOT sell any invasive species.  Patronize their businesses and tell them you found them via the Buy Native Directory. 
Go Native Book & Resource List
Reading & Inspiration
​Many of these titles are available from your local library or via the SWCD's Tool Loan Program Lending Library.

Bringing Nature Home- Doug Tallamy
Nature's Best Hope - Doug Tallamy
Prairie Up - Benjamin Vogt
Planting in a Post-Wild World - Thomas Rainer & Claudia West
The Midwestern Native Garden - Charlotte Adelman & Bernard Schwartz
Midwestern Native Shrubs and Trees - Charlotte Adelman & Bernard Schwartz
Native Plants of the Midwest - Alan Branhagen
Pollinators of Native Plants - Heather Holm
Bees - Heather Helms
Attracting Native Pollinators - The Xerces Society
Resources & Community
Indiana Native Plant Society
  • Grow Native Retailers and Designers
  • Facebook page and group (great community for advice and learning)
  • Native Plant Finder tool
  • Regional events
Wild Ones
  • local events, example landscape  plans, etc.
Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder
SWCD Native Landscaping Plans for HOA's and residential landscaping
This project was made possible with a Clean Water Indiana grant with in-kind support from Mark M. Holeman Inc. 
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