Choosing Sustainable Plants

People use various criteria when selecting or purchasing plants. For many, the primary criterion is cost – “the lower, the better”. For some, it is all about the spring flowers or a beautiful plant seen in a garden or in the neighborhood. For a plant collector, the words “new”, “rare” or “variegated” may be all that it takes to make that plant selection.

However, in recent years, the emphasis in our society is on sustainability, whether it is in building construction, energy, food production, etc. and we are seeing an increased interest in selecting landscape plants that are sustainable. The definition of a sustainable plant may be a plant that does not have a known significant insect or disease problem, is drought tolerant (once established), is not invasive, and is long-lived. Selecting plants with the qualities listed above may contribute to developing sustainable landscapes or landscapes that require fewer inputs such as pesticides, water, fertilizer, labor, maintenance and plant replacement.

With literally thousands of plants to choose from, developing sustainable landscapes that are dynamic, beautiful and satisfying can be achieved. A key to selecting a sustainable plant is to follow some basic guidelines. The first guideline is “right plant, right place.” In other words, conduct a site evaluation and determine what plants would do well in that location. In order to do that, we need to know the following:

• Ultimate height and width of the plant: How big will the plant grow? Is there enough space or will it outgrow the location?
• Sunlight: What does the plant require? Is there enough light to sustain the plant? Is there too much sunlight?
• Drainage: Is the soil well drained? Is it too well drained?
• Pest resistance: Is the plant prone to a particular or serious insect or disease problem that would require frequent pesticides to maintain it?
• Drought tolerance: Is the plant drought tolerant, once it is established?
• Hardiness: Will the species survive the cold, winter temperatures in that location? What hardiness zone is it listed for?
• Invasive potential: Does the plant produce seed in a way that may cause it to become invasive? Is the plant known to be invasive?
• Soil type/soil pH: Is the soil type and pH conducive to good growth for that plant?
• Maintenance needs: Is the plant a weak grower that will require frequent pruning, etc.
• Longevity: Is the plant species known to be long-lived?

Selecting plants for sustainability is not complicated or time-consuming. There are numerous plant lists found through University Extension programs as well as online at various web sites. Nursery catalogs also often contain useful lists. The following lists are but a small fraction of the plants available that have few insect or disease problems, are often long-lived, drought tolerant or may contribute to wildlife habitat. The lists do contain introduced plants as well as North American indigenous species (plants marked with an * are indigenous to North America). When selecting plants, it is highly recommended to plant a diversity of plant species and to avoid the overplanting of one species, thus creating a monoculture. Increasing plant diversity often results in the increase of beneficial insect biodiversity, and that is a good thing.

Written by: Deborah Swanson
Revised: 08/2011