A Home Gardener's Guide to Rewilding

The first steps to transforming your backyard garden into a native Louisiana oasis

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Over the last two hundred years, Louisiana’s natural landscapes have been totally transformed. Monoculture farming, the development of cities, and the clearing of forests have made human life easier in many ways, but at a cost. The vast diversity of plantlife that defined this region for centuries, and the wildlife that depended on it, have been reduced to a shadow of their former selves. “Intentionally putting native plants back into our ecosystems has become increasingly more and more important, because we’re starting to see biodiversity losses, less of the birds and insects and all of these things that used Louisiana’s native plants,” said Tammany Baumgarten, a New Orleans landscape horticulturalist who currently serves as President of the Louisiana Native Plant Society (LNPS) and the Native Plant Initiative (NPI) of Greater New Orleans.

[Read this: How to Use Native Plants in the Garden, according to Helen Peebles] 

In recent years, local initiatives like the LNPS, NPI, and the Acadiana Native Plant Project (ANPP) have evolved from nonprofits heralded by groups of native plant enthusiasts to agents of a larger movement, with an increasingly urgent call to action: “Go native, now.”

But, where to begin? For the average home-owner, transitioning to a native garden—or a mostly-native garden—can feel overwhelming. In this guide, Baumgarten and Dona Weifenbach, a landscape architect and active member of the Acadiana Native Plant Project, help to simplify the process.

The Benefits of Incorporating Natives into Your Landscape

Wildlife: Native plants provide the best ecosystem for our area wildlife—from migrating birds to pollinators and beyond, and serve important ecological roles from their place at the bottom of virtually every naturally occurring food chain. Incorporating natives into your yard will not only integrate your property into the local ecosystem in a vital way, it will also make your home a haven of wild delights.   

Flood Management: Native plants have evolved over time to succeed in our particular climate and soils. In sodden South Louisiana, this means they know all about floodwaters. Most natives possess deep root systems designed to hold soil tight, as well as to efficiently funnel water from the surface down through the soil and into groundwater. You read that right: native plants will reduce flooding in your yard.

Reduced Maintenance: The philosophy of a native yard comes with permission to do less. Native plants are a great way to reduce lawn, which means less blowing and mowing (more on this later). The plants themselves are often self-sustaining, requiring less in the way of watering and fertilizer than introduced plants from the nursery, and many are self-seeding. You don’t even have to keep replanting them.

Beauty: There is no loss in aesthetics here, Louisiana’s natural ecosystems have always been both visually rewarding and generous in their ecological rewards. Using natives layers all of this with a distinct sense of place.

Step 1: Evaluate Your Site

Start by making sure you understand the growing conditions of where you live. Determine which of Louisiana’s seven ecological regions you are working in:

• Coastal Marshes/Barrier Islands/Maritime Forests

• Longleaf Pine Savannas and Woodlands

• Shortleaf Pine-Oak-Hickory Woodlands

• Hardwood-Pine Flatwoods

• Bluff Forests

• Bottomland Hardwood Forests and Swamps

• Coastal Prairies

Next, look at your yard and think about what areas you use most for play, for work, for your children or your pets. Where can you afford to let it grow wild? Consider the conditions of these potential growing areas: How much sun do they get? How wet is it? What is the soil like?

Step 2: Stop Mowing

Once you’ve selected what portion of your yard you are ready to rededicate to natives, don’t touch it. Start by seeing what emerges, all on its own. “Often we have native wildflowers and things in the seed bank that will either reappear or establish themselves if we stop freaking mowing them to death. It’s not only using a lot of fuel and releasing emissions and causing work for you or someone else, it also removes all the ecological value from whatever your turf grass is, just shears it of any habitat potential,” said Baumgarten, who noted that not-mowing is about as easy as it gets and is totally reversible. “If you don’t like it, you can just start mowing it again, or mow it differently.”

Step 3: Manage Non-Native Invasives

Now’s the time to start reading. Learn about Louisiana’s invasive species, many of which are still sold in retail nurseries. Some of the most notorious include Chinese tallow, Chinese privet, Cogongrass, and English ivy. These imported species will take up real estate in your garden, and will outcompete the native plants you’re trying to cultivate, without offering the ecological benefits.

[Read this: 5 Destinations to see Louisiana Native Plants in action] 

Step 4: Join a Native Plants Organization

Part of the reason so many native plant organizations are popping up is to provide a mechanism to share resources on where to find Louisiana native plants—which are not always easily available. This is why Baumgarter and Weifenbach emphasize the importance of joining your local group. “We’re here because we couldn’t find natives,” said Weifenbach, noting that the ANPP has actually evolved into a profitable business over the last five years, propagating and selling difficult-to-find natives through the June Walker Memorial Greenhouse at the Teche Farm EcoCampus in Arnaudville. Similar efforts have been conducted by Baton Rouge’s Capital Area Native Plant Society. “There are a lot of people who are just getting started on this journey,” said Baumgarter. “By joining a group, you can learn from others and talk about native plants and share plants with one another.” You can also get access to the knowledge of people who have been doing this for a while, and who can help you to determine the best natives for your property, how to care for them, and how to design them in a way that suits your aesthetic and practical needs alike.

Louisiana Native Plant Organizations 

Louisiana Native Plant Society: Annual membership to the state-wide nonprofit is $10, and keeps you updated on the latest initiatives, resources, and events taking place in the world of native plants across Louisiana. Details at lnps.org.

Acadiana Native Plant Project: Annual membership is $25 and gets you access to 20% discounts on all plants sold at the June Walker Memorial Greenhouse, all ANPP merchandise (yard signs, t-shirts, books), all workshops; plus exclusive access to members-only events. Details at greauxnative.org.

Capital Area Native Plant Society: Annual membership is $20, and gets you access to 15% discounts on all native plants sold at pop-up sales around the Greater Baton Rouge area and free entry to programming such as lectures and field trips. Details at canps.weebly.com.

Folsom Native Plant Society: Annual membership is $12, which supports the efforts of the society and keeps members updated on community activities and meetings. Details at folsomnps.org.

Native Plant Initiative of Greater New Orleans: Annual membership is $25 and keeps you in the know for meetings, programs, volunteer opportunities, and events in the New Orleans area. Details at npi-gno.org.

Step 5: Plant Natives

Baumgarter recommends consulting members of your local native plant society for help selecting the best natives for your property, as well as taking two key qualities into account: 

Herbivory: “Especially if you are working within limited space, plant the plants that support the widest range of wildlife,” she said. “Find the top plants for bird species, the plants that attract the most insects.” An oak tree, for example, supports over two hundred species of moth caterpillars, she said. Or plant goldenrods, which support more bees and pollinators than almost any other species on the market. “If you want monarch butterflies,” said Weifenbach, “you’ll want native milkweed.” Migrating songbirds love native grasses, she said. “They are great for absorbing a lot of rainwater, and provide so much food and habitat for wintering birds.”

Diversity: Plant a lot of different things, advised Baumgarter. “You want something blooming in all seasons of the year.” This will not only ensure your garden is beautiful year round, but it will also serve specialist insects who arrive during specific timespans throughout the calendar. “We don’t know all of the specialist relationships out there between native plants and local insects,” she said. “The best way for us to address that is just plant as many native plants as we can, fill our yards up, and hope that what we’re planting addresses the needs of some form of wildlife at some point on the calendar.”

The Louisiana Certified Habitat Program provides a pretty exhaustive list of Louisiana natives to consider adding to your property. Find it here.

Where to Shop for Natives

Acadiana Native Plant Project’s June Walker Memorial Greenhouse: 1046 Main Highway, Arnaudville; Open on Tuesdays 9 am–noon from September to June, or place orders online at greauxnative.org.

Almost Eden Plants: 1240 Smith Road Merryville; Make appointments or place orders from a selection of Louisiana native plants by calling (337) 375-2114. Details at almostedenplants.com.

Cindy’s Louisiana Iris: Order Louisiana Irises by calling (713) 922-5967 or online at cindyslouisianairis.com.

Coastal Prairie Farms, ULL Ecology Center: Order PureNative seeds for grasses and flowering plants through the University of Louisiana’s Ecology Center by calling (337) 262-1776 or emailing ecologycenter@louisiana.edu. Details at ecology.louisiana.edu/purenative.

Bois d’Arc Gardens: Order Louisiana Iris by emailing boise@charter.net. Details at bois-darc.com.

Louisiana Native Seed: Order Louisiana seed mixes at louisiananativeseed.com.

Pastorek Habitats “The Meadowmakers”: Order eco-type-specific Native Prairie and Pineland Herbaceaous seed mixes by emailing meadowmakers@gmail.com. pastorekhabitats.com.

Maypop Hill Nursery: 805 State Line Road Centreville, MS; Make an appointment by calling (225) 629-5379. Details at maypophill.com.

Pelican Greenhouse: 2 Celebration Drive New Orleans (City Park); Call (504) 483-9437 for dates of scheduled plant sales. Upcoming dates are March 3–5, 9 am–noon. neworleanscitypark.org/visit-city-park/pelican-greenhouse.

Soggy Prairie Stalks and Seeds: Message orders of seeds and seedlings on Facebook or by emailing robjamax@gmail.com.

The Urban Naturalist: 216 Madison Street Lafayette; Shop in person 24/7 or order online at urbannaturalist-105436.square.site.

Step 6: Shift Your Perspective

Getting the absolute most out of your native garden encourages a revolutionary approach to what we know as “good gardening”. Baumgarter calls it the “next dimension” of landscaping. “It’s not about how plants smell, it’s not about what color they are, or what form they take,” she said. “It’s about the life they bring to the garden.” Bugs are not bad when your goal is to draw biomass into your yardspace, to build a self-sustaining foodweb. When the leaves have holes, or are rolled up, cut off—you can see that as physical evidence of a natural system at work, “and it should be a source of joy, instead of this stressful thing that makes you go running for the pesticide.”

This is no small feat, Baumgarter allows—acknowledging generations of anti-aphid sentiment. But she encourages new native gardeners to sit back and watch the aphids, and how if you don’t bother them, eventually you’ll see the ladybugs arrive, the lacewings. “If you let the processes happen in the garden naturally, a balance comes in.”

Stop being so tidy, Baumgarter and Weifenbach encourage. Leave the leaves and debris on the ground to become a home for someone, let the logs rot. Learn to love the color brown. “The rusty colored grasses in the prairies in the winter are great for birds,” said Weifenbach. “They’re a beautiful thing, but you kind of have to train your brain to appreciate that.”

Step 7: Remember That a Little Can Go a Long Way

Baumgarter reminds new native gardeners that you do not have to go all in, all at once. You can have your camellias, and your black-eyed Susans, too. “Ease your way into native landscaping by incorporating natives into niches here and there, and work to increase your numbers over time.” Not ready to let the whole lawn grow wild? Pick a corner, and mow around it. Can’t stand the sight of leaves sprinkled all over the ground? Rake them into a pile and hide them behind a structure or on the far end of the garden—just don’t bag them. “It’s about finding a balance between what your human aesthetic can tolerate and trying to do the best thing for the environment,” said Baumgarter.

“I think a lot of people struggle with native plants because they think they look messy,” said Weifenbach. But there are options beyond the wild, untouched native garden that also brings more native plants into your yard. “Standard formal design is absolutely possible with native plants, too. You just need to be educated on how to do it, or to find the people who can help you achieve that.”

In the end, though, these adjustments go a long way towards building a more friendly and sustainable ecosystem for our local environment and wildlife. “And what I have found over and over and over again, with the native gardens I’ve installed, is that the joy and wonder and adventure of becoming part of the ecosystem trumps how pretty a flower is any day,” said Baumgarter. “It’s just really a childlike delight.”