tnhappy
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Joined: Sun Nov 28, 2021 8:46 pm

Native Gardening

I would love to have a native plant garden. I am in Nashville Tn, Zone 7B. Can anyone help me choose the best natives?

told2b
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Posts: 196
Joined: Thu Nov 06, 2014 4:07 pm
Location: North Jersey, Zone 6


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applestar
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Posts: 30514
Joined: Thu May 01, 2008 7:21 pm
Location: Zone 6, NJ (3/M)4/E ~ 10/M(11/B)

Sounds like a fun project to design and plan over the winter!

Start looking for local area native plant sales that will probably start in March or so while you decide what to plant. (It might feel too early, but those folks are growing the plants to sell right NOW, and will be nurturing them over the winter. So they will be planning when the sale will be held and some are already starting to post the details on their websites)

Do you have a garden area in mind? You will need to determine the amount of sun exposure and soil moisture in that particular part of your garden — try to pick plants that match rather than going out of your way to change the existing conditions.

If there are plants you HAVE to have but don’t have the appropriate conditions where you were thinking to plant, look around and see if there is another area you could plant it on your property.

Let us know what your garden area is like and I might have some suggestions for the eastern US natives although your list will be slightly different since you have milder winters than I do.

I have Native Bog/Rain Gardens and a Native Shade Garden, and my entire back yard is planted to be a butterfly garden/Monarch Butterfly Waystation with a section dedicated to milkweed and native flowering plants, with some of the native flowering trees and shrubs also in the front yard as well.



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