In recent years, there’s been a growing interest in planting native species, and for good reason. Native plants help support local wildlife, restore pollinator habitats, and create healthier ecosystems. They are also well-suited to our local climate and require less maintenance compared to non-native plants. But if you’re new to native gardening, you might be wondering: Where do I start? What should I plant?

If you live in Oro-Medonte, you’re in USDA Hardiness Zone 5, which means any native plants you buy locally will be well-suited to our area’s climate. There are several local suppliers of native plants, such as Ontario Native Plants, Hidden Habitat, Native Plants in Claremont, Bee Sweet Nature Company, and Not So Hollow Farm. Many offer online shopping or in-person visits, and their knowledgeable staff can provide helpful advice on plant choice and care. Online orders are often placed well in advance and shipped just in time for planting.

If you’re interested in starting from seed, many native plants are available online or through local gardening groups and libraries, such as the Innisfil Seed Library, Barrie Public Library, or Ontario Native Plant & Seed Exchange Facebook group. Some gardeners collect and donate native seeds, making them more accessible for others to grow. Keep in mind that most native seeds need a period of cold to break dormancy, called stratification. You can simply plant seeds in your garden in late fall or use the “winter sowing” method: plant seeds in containers (like milk jugs) and leave them outside over the winter. In spring, your seeds will germinate and you’ll have seedlings to plant.

Native plants may not bloom in their first year, but once they’re established, they’ll return year after year.

To attract a variety of pollinators, consider adding these beautiful native plants and shrubs to your garden:

• Coreopsis lanceolata (Lance Leaf Coreopsis): Prolific blooms that bring a splash of yellow to your garden all season long, well-loved by moths, bees and skipper butterflies;
• Lobelia cardinalis (Cardinal Flower) & Lobelia siphilitica (Great Blue Lobelia): Intricate, vibrant florets that attract hummingbirds and butterflies;
• Mimulus ringens (Monkey Flower): A unique, showy flower for moist and slightly shady areas and a food source for beautiful sphinx moths;
• Aquilegia canadensis (Eastern Red Columbine): Delicate, sweet flowers that attract hummingbirds, easy to naturalize in the right location;
• Verbena simplex (Narrow-leaved Blue Vervain): A dainty but hardy plant with slender foliage and long-lasting lavender blooms that attract leaf-cutting bees, green metallic bees, and verbena moth;
• Sisyrinchium montanum (Blue-eyed Grass): Not a true grass but a member of the iris family, adorned with delicate star-shaped blue flower with yellow centre, and an important source of food for early pollinators;
• Baptisia australis (Blue Wild Indigo): Shrub-like herbaceous plant with beautiful blue flowers that turn into stunning, rattling seed heads after blooming, loved by bumblebees;
• Physocarpus opulifolius (Ninebark): Stunning shrub with dainty spring flowers, vibrant foliage in summer, and stunning peeling bark in winter, host plant for a number of caterpillars, loved by native bees and a number of moths species;
• Ceanothus americanus (New Jersey Tea): A hardy, deciduous shrub that produces clusters of small, white to pale pink flowers, it attracts a large variety of native bees;
• Cornus florida (Flowering Dogwood): Produces white flowers in spring and red bark in fall, it stands out in the garden, offering year-round interest, host plant for birds, mammals and nearly 100 types of caterpillars.