Been to this Neat Boutique Nursery?

Here's a pretty valuable planting tip for you: if you're looking to add a new plant to your garden, go native. I got to thinking about this after attending an annual plant sale at a wonderful boutique nursery in West Ashley that I wanted to tell you about: Roots & Shoots. It is an appointment-only nursery at the home of two native plant enthusiasts, Lynn Meffert and Jane Jabbour. The selection at their annual plant sale was broad (they specialize in natives) and Lynn and Jane were very knowledgeable.

Another great source to learn more about natives is the Lowcountry chapter of the SC Native Plant Society. They meet downtown on the Citadel’s campus. 

Why natives? Well, plants that prefer this natural environment provide a much-needed habitat for beneficial insects and wildlife, while adding easy beauty. Balancing out the ecosystem this way helps keep the insect population in check while attracting beautiful creatures like butterflies and hummingbirds. On the flip side, sacrifice biodiversity for aesthetics and run the risk of imbalance. Often, this translates to an overpopulation of a particular insect or disease (aka maintenance). To me, native plants are as beautiful as many of the exotics and require a lot less care when properly planted in the garden. 

But you also need to find the right spot in your garden for these plants: Does your plant like full sun? Part shade? Does it need a lot of water? Does it prefer drought like conditions? Know your plants' natural environment and have an easier time all-around. 

Here are some images of beautiful natives in the landscape and at the nursery:

Beautiful bed of Stokesia

Native plant nursery Roots & Shoots

Plants were labeled very well with these easy-to-read info pages.

Wild Petunia