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Community Corner

10 Reasons to Go Native with Your Landscaping

Save money and resources while adding to your home's curb appeal.

Native landscapes can be inviting, provide curb appeal and satisfy your homeowners association. 

They also add important values to a home that ornamental and traditional landscaping can't compete with.

The benefits:

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  1. The most obvious benefit will be the amount of money saved on water bills. Native landscapes take much less water than most landscaping designs once they are established.  
  2. Native landscapes are much easier to maintain. They don't grow at the same rate as your average non-native landscape and don't need the same kind of upkeep and care.  
  3. With less maintenance comes less noise and pollution—now that you don't need all that noisy equipment to mow your lawn and trim hedges.
  4. Less chemicals and pesticides. Native gardens and landscapes don't need the same amount of care to thrive in Southern California since they are native to the climate. This means less runoff and less pollution to our oceans.
  5. Environmentally friendly alternatives adds curb appeal. There are many options when it comes to natives—it doesn't just have to be mulch and bunch grasses. But a green yard also adds value to your house if done properly.
  6. Let your yard tell a story. Do you like a particular native? Focus your yard around it. Try the manzanita tree, which is known for its rich red bark. Try reclaimed items to make customized flower pots around your theme.
  7. Native landscapes can utilize ocean friendly techniques to help retain water on your property and cut down on urban runoff. Swales, man-made streams and ponds and other methods allows water to percolate into the soil rather than just running into storm drains.
  8. Attract butterflies to your front yard. By utilizing the right natives, you can attract butterflies, native birds (hummingbirds love certain natives) and other critters to your front yard for a tranquil bit of nature on your own property.
  9. Certain natives can handle pet waste better than your lawn. Plan wisely and you've got the perfect pet friendly front yard.
  10. Set an example for your neighbors and be the talk of the block! All these elements can mean saving money, saving water and less pollution for our watersheds. It doesn’t have to be expensive to make the change and you can make it creative.  

I learned a great deal about California natives when I took ecological restoration classes at Saddleback College. I think it’s important to understand the biological diversity we are lucky enough to have right here in Orange County. We should be proud of it and try to preserve it.

One of my favorite local non-profits is Back to Natives Restoration, which specializes in ecological restoration and native landscaping. I will most certainly share my own native landscape experiences as they happen.

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Native landscaping is an alternative now, but it will be the norm soon.

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