Front Gardens Featuring Native Plants

WHAT’S THE DIRT? Since last year we have been adding to the front gardens at school. Although gardens are always a dynamic project, we are closer to being completed. Stay tuned for various blooms from now thru fall.

We have created a Native Plant Garden in front of the gym, a Gold & Blueish Garden in front of the office, also featuring many native plants. On the office’s corner, we have planted a memorial garden with hot pinks and neons.

THANKS A BUNCH 💐! We are so thankful to our local Native Plants Expert Cindy Nuss, of Nature’s Way Designs, LLC., for her designing the garden (free of charge), for freebie plants when possible and spending many hours on planting with our volunteers. We also appreciate office staff Sharon Tritz for donating some plants.  Thanks to Katie Young for helping to install new plants. We also thank TFES PTO for their contribution to this project.  

We are also so thankful to those families supported us financially, so that we could buy the remaining plants and mulch to complete the job!  

Thanks to the 5th and 4th graders for helping us with this project (check out some pics below).

WHAT IS A NATIVE PLANT? A native plant is one that occurs naturally in a particular region, ecosystem, or habitat without direct or indirect human intervention. We consider the flora present at the time Europeans arrived in North America as the species native to the eastern United States. 

Native plants include all kinds of plants from mosses, lichen and ferns to wildflowers, shrubs, and trees.

WHY GO NATIVE? Because native plants are adapted to the growing conditions where you live, they are often easier to grow, and less susceptible to challenging conditions than non-native plants.  Natives require less care/water, and love our soil. Many non-native plants are also invasive, and crowd out our native plant species.

Native plants are great for the ecosystem, are perennial (come back yearly) and can often be given away to others, thru propagation and seeds.

Some of our favorite plants featured are (and go by several common names): Golden Alexander, Black-eye Susan, Lance-leaved Coreopsis, Golden Ragwort, Moss Phlox, Jenna Phlox, False Blue Indigo, Blue Mistflower, Pitcher Sage, New England Asters, Sky Blue Asters, Willow Leaf Blue Star Shrub, Echinacea, Joe Pye, Annis Hyssop, Swamp Milkweed, Iris, Goldenrod Fireworks, Virginia Bluebells, Turtlehead, Blue Wild Indigo, Blue eyed grass, Bleeding Heart, Penstemon, Rattlesnake master, Anise Hyssop, Threadleaf Amosonia, Plaintain Pussy Toes, Juniper, Mountain Mint, and so many more!

As you work on your landscaping, please remember the  The Dirty Dozen, a list of twelve invasive plants frequently found at nurseries and landscape retailers that should be avoided. Better yet, considering adding some of these native plants, The Birdy Dozen, to your gardens to attract birds.

Check more information on Invasive Plants and recommendations for alternatives on our Plant Information and Landscaping page.