Practicing Plant Conservation: What can you do?
Choose garden plants with conservation in mind.
Collection of plants from wild populations can have very negative impacts on the survival of threatened plant species. For garden and landscaping projects, seek to purchase plants that have been certified to have been propagated from cultivated stock grown by a responsible nursery. Never purchase plants that may have been taken from wild populations. Some great resources for learning about how to be sure the garden plants you purchase from nurseries have been grown responsibly are:
The Gardener’s Guide to Plant Conservation by Nina T. Marshall
The Vanishing Garden: A Conservation Guide to Garden Plants by Christopher Brickell and Fay Sharman
Avoid introducing invasive plants.
In your own garden, avoid the introduction and spread of invasive exotic species. Controlling invasive weeds on your own property will reduce the opportunity for them to spread to nearby naturalized areas where they may compete with and overpower native plant populations. Be aware that many ornamental plants commonly grown in gardens and landscapes can become invasive. In their place, use native plants as beautiful substitutes to invasive ornamental plants in your garden. To learn about invasive weeds and ornamental plants and native plant alternatives, explore these web sites:
National Park Service: Plant Invaders of Mid-Atlantic Natural Areas website
Invasive Plants of the Eastern United States: Identification and Control website
Create habitat for plant pollinators.
Moths, hummingbirds, bees, ants, beetles, birds, and bats are a few of more than two thousand avian, mammal, and invertebrate pollinators that are crucial to keeping our gardens beautiful and wild areas healthy. Pollinators are the basis of the reproductive cycle of plants and are critical to the survival of plant populations. By creating a pollinator-friendly habitat in you own garden, you can ensure that plant pollinators have the sustenance and shelter they need to be able to survive and perform their important ecological roles. To learn about the importance of pollinators and how you can provide habitat for them in your own backyard, check out these resources:
The Forgotten Pollinators by Stephen L. Buchmann and Gary Paul Nabhan
National Wildlife Federation: Backyard Wildlife Habitat website
Minimize your use of chemicals in the garden.
Try to minimize the use of herbicides, pesticides, fungicides and other chemicals on lawns and other garden areas. Using good cultural practices to keep garden plants healthy and resistant to pest infestations, removing weeds regularly to prevent them from going to seed in your garden beds, and using plants that are known to have natural resistance to diseases are just a few of the preventative measures you can take to reduce the need to use chemicals in your garden. By cutting back on the use of harsh chemicals, you will reduce the risk of contamination of local waterways and wild areas. You will also allow your garden to become a more inviting environment for bugs, birds, frogs, and other garden residents that will help control pests naturally. The following are good resources for learning about measures that you can take in your garden that will help you reduce the need to use chemicals to control weeds, disease, and pests.
Garden Web: Integrated Pest Management
Virginia Cooperative Extension
