Ecosystem-Supportive Plant Selection

As the climate changes and more species face habitat loss, our gardenscapes will be an important part of conservation efforts. In this Hot Topic, we'll explore how to choose plants that will minimize inputs and support the ecosystem around them. Expect to take approximately one hour to complete this module.

Learning Objectives

• Explore the benefits of selecting the right plant for a location

• Identify plants that provide benefits to the surrounding ecosystem

Selecting Plants for an Ecosystem-Supportive Garden

Selecting the right plant for your garden site can reduce inputs, saving you money and supporting a healthier environment. A plant that's in a location that matches its soil, sun, and drainage needs is more likely to be able to meet its water and nutrient requirements from just the environment around it, minimizing irrigation and fertilizer inputs. A plant with its needs met is also more likely to be robust and healthy, better equipping it to fend off insect pests and diseases and reducing the chances you'll have to apply any pesticides. Therefore, a plant in the right place will need less water, less fertilizer and fewer pesticide applications, saving you money and minimizing pollution.

However, how do you select the right plant, especially in the face of climate change? What factors should you consider when creating a resilient, ecosystem-supportive garden? Watch the following video about selecting landscape plants for a changing climate from Dr. Brandon Miller, assistant professor in the Department of Horticultural Science at the University of Minnesota, to learn more.

Plants that Benefit the Ecosystem

Now that you've learned about the benefits of selecting the right plant, let's talk about what kinds of plants support the ecosystem and how they enrich habitat. Plants can act as food and habitat sources for insects, birds and mammals. They can also hold soil in place, filter water and cool the surrounding area. Are native or non-native plants more beneficial? Explore the information below to understand the differences in ecosystem services that native and non-native plants can provide. 

Define

Review the Minnesota DNR's definitions of native species, invasive species, non-native species, weeds, noxious weeds and naturalized species. (Expand the "What is an invasive plant?" section to see definitions.) 

Compare and Contrast

In this section, we'll compare and contrast the services that native and non-native plants can provide in the garden ecosystem. We know that discussion of non-native plants can stir strong emotions and opinions. You may have some productive discomfort - discomfort that you might feel as your brain works to make sense of new information and perspectives. Remember that as Master Gardener Volunteers, we can support the full spectrum of ideas and opinions on the use of native and non-native plants!

Native Plants

Native plants generally provide higher-quality habitat for native wildlife since wildlife and plants tend to evolve together. Up to 76% of native herbivorous insects associate with one native host plant family and need access to those plants to survive. For example, monarchs need plants in the milkweed family to be able to complete their life cycle. Additionally, studies have shown that native plants support a higher abundance and diversity of insects. Since native plants support more insects, they've been shown to support more native birds that feed on insects as compared to non-native plants. One study showed that yards planted with native plants provided better habitat for birds during the non-breeding season. Those effects cause impacts further up the food chain - organisms that feed on birds benefit from native plants, too.

Non-Native Plants

It's important to remember that as the climate changes, our definition of "non-native" will likely have to shift. Plants that aren't currently native to Minnesota will likely move into the state as their ranges shift northward and westward, and that change will be important for climate resiliency. 

Studies have shown that some non-native plants flowered and fruited earlier in response to warmer conditions, as compared to some native plants. Non-native plants could therefore serve as a gap food source for wildlife during changes of the seasons, and are potentially more adaptable to our changing climate than some of our natives. This is important to consider as we think about making gardens that are resilient to our changing climate and that maximize resources available to native wildlife.

In addition to considering the climate-resiliency benefits, non-native plants can have benefits for wildlife. Insects and wildlife can adapt to use non-native plants as food and habitat sources. Some studies have shown that a mix of native and non-native plants can help support insect diversity, especially if the non-native plants are closely related to our native plants. For example:

• Dill, parsley, and fennel are members of the carrot family and are host plants for our native swallowtail butterfly caterpillars. They are all native to the Mediterranean region of southern Europe and northwestern Asia. They're closely related to the native members of the carrot family that serve as swallowtail host plants, such as cow parsnip. 

• Purple coneflower, Echinacea purpurea, isn't native to Minnesota. It's closely related to the species of Echinacea that are native to Minnesota, however. Even though it's not native to our state, it survives our winters and is a great resource for our native pollinators.

Both native and non-native plants

While native plants often provide higher-quality habitats for native wildlife, non-native plants can also serve as habitat (especially if they're closely related to our native plants). Both native and non-native plants can act as food sources. 

Finally, it is okay to think about aesthetics in your garden. Native and non-native plants can both be aesthetically pleasing.  Maybe you love tulips or other spring bulbs that aren't native to Minnesota, but you also love our native milkweeds. You can have both in your garden and still create a valuable habitat for native organisms. It's important for you to enjoy spending time in your garden with your plants, and if planting some non-native species helps you enjoy your garden more, that's okay!

Plant Suggestions

The University of Minnesota Extension Horticulture Team is currently working on in-depth lists of plants with wildlife value. Look for those to come out in the next several months. In the meantime, here are a few suggestions for plants that can benefit wildlife and the surrounding ecosystem.

Annuals

• Music Box Mix sunflower (Helianthus annuus ‘Music Box Mix’): A dwarf sunflower that is popular with honey and bumblebees.

• Dakota Gold Sneezeweed (Helenium amarum ‘Dakota Gold'): A native plant with small, bright yellow flowers that are a favorite of native bees and syrphid flies.

• Summer Jewel™ Pink Salvia (Salvia coccinea 'Summer Jewel Pink'): A plant native to the southern US that has pink and white flowers that attract bumblebees.

Perennials

• Virgin's bower (Clematis virginiana): A vine with small white flowers that are attractive to native bees, wasps, and flies. Also provides nesting habitat for songbirds.

• Common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca): A native perennial that is a major larval food source for monarch butterflies. Its flowers are showy and fragrant.

• Blue grama (Bouteloua gracilis): Native grasses are great for ecosystems! This one prefers dry sites, is deer resistant, provides food for birds, and is a larval food source for at least 13 different species of butterflies and moths.

Shrubs

• Common purple lilac (Syringa vulgaris): An old-fashioned lilac that attracts pollinators.

• Regent serviceberry (Amelanchier alnifolia 'Regent'): A native shrub that produces fragrant white flowers that attract pollinators. The edible fruit is a great food source for wildlife.

• Nanking cherry (Prunus tomentosa): A taller shrub that produces edible fruits that can feed wildlife.

Trees

• Shagbark hickory (Carya ovata): A tree with large, flat plates of peeling bark. It produces edible nuts for that are a wildlife food source.

• Hackberry (Celtis occidentalis): A tree with golden foliage in the fall. It is a larval food source for the common snout and hackberry butterflies and produces berries that attract birds.

• Majestic Skies™ Northern pin oak (Quercus elipsoidalis ‘Bailskies’): An oak with good drought tolerance. Its acorns are a food source for wildlife and it can provide nest cavities for many bird species.

Test Your Knowledge

Additional Resources

• Five Considerations of Sustainable Landscape Design Video Series with Extension Educator Julie Weisenhorn

• Plant Selection Video Series with Extension Educator Julie Weisenhorn

• Plant Elements of Design Plant Selection Tool

• "Meet the Ecologist Who Wants You to Unleash the Wild on Your Backyard"  article from Smithsonian Magazine published in April 2020.