Natural landscaping, or native gardening, is using the trees, shrubs, grasses, and flowers that are indigenous to the area. Atlanta, home of the beautiful Centennial Olympic Park, is also home to a lot of natural trees, flowers, and grasses. Urbanization has taken front stage, and the impact has transformed lawns and plants. Places such as the Georgia Aquarium offer plenty of nature and beauty too. The urban sprawl is not slowing down, but there are ways to help its impact by landscaping and using more native gardening.
Invite Wildlife
The high maintenance of having the perfect green lawn is a landscape that does not support ecosystems. Let's begin to invite wildlife such as birds back into our backyards. To do this, you must first have a gardener or a gardening service that knows about natural landscaping. Atlanta, Georgia has a lot of native plants, trees, and grasses that will make your home feel upscale and cozy. It will take a lot for your home to look like the Atlanta Botanical Garden, but with pairing with the right gardener, your outdoor space will feel great! Cascade Springs Nature Reserve and Piedmont Park give us hope for the great outdoors and inviting local wildlife back.
Ecological Balance
The ecological basis of life in Atlanta, Georgia must be balanced with people and the wildlife that inhabited the area before the urban sprawl. Some places that help with the natural side of Atlanta are East Palisades Trail and Mary Scott Nature Park. Visit and see nature at work, naturally. Without this balance, the local birds will start to die out, and Insects that help our yards will also be affected.
Research has shown that some trees support over 500 species of caterpillars! Imagine what other types of wildlife have slowly gone away due to humans getting rid of the native plants in the area. There is a way to bring balance when you hire an experienced gardener. So that your yard does not end the food cycle, but start to participate in life's food cycle, the professional landscaper can go over plans for your yard. The plan can include getting rid of invasive pests and balancing the indigenous fabric of the area.
Some benefits of having native plants:
- Conserve water - your water bill can be lower since the native plants are used to the area and require less water, saving you more money.
- Combat climate change - long living trees are naturally effective at storing carbon dioxide.
- Low or no maintenance.
- Beautiful flowers full of color for almost every season.
- Fruits and seeds that attract birds.
- Welcomes wildlife to their indigenous areas such as butterflies and birds.
- Creates a healthy place for you and your family - no fertilizers or pesticides need to be used.
Choosing a natural gardening method has meaningful effects, and it starts with your backyard. You can begin to research native plants or call a gardening expert like Lawn Love to assist in getting your yard up to par.
The black cherry (Prunus serotina) is a plant that attracts birds. This plant is found from Northern Georgia to the very most southernmost counties. The varied soils of Georgia can sustain this plant, and it brings about many types of birds and caterpillars that will blossom into beautiful butterflies. This is just one example of what your natural landscaping change can bring about.
Hire A Professional Gardener
Now you know some of the benefits of having a natural landscape in your yard. Let's review why you will need a professional to assist in getting your yard looking beautiful. There is assistance for those who do not know where to begin. You can encourage a healthier ecosystem in Atlanta with your own yard.
The choices you make for your landscape can start now with a professional gardening service. Lawn Love gardeners know which plants and trees are invasive to the area and how to get rid of them responsibly. Instead of tearing your yard apart to get rid of everything, your lawn pro knows how to go about implementing and executing a plan to create a beautiful looking garden.
Hiring a professional gardener in Atlanta will offer you a variety of options on how to present your new natural landscape. Your Lawn Love gardening expert will begin with the type of soil and may even already know the history of your area when it comes to plants and trees.
Some native plants and trees to Georgia:
- Red Maple. Family: Maple/Aceraceae
- Sugar Maple / Acer saccharum
- Sugarberry / Celtis laevigata
- American Yellowwood / Cladrastis kentukea
- American Beech / Fagus grandifolia
- White Ash / Fraxinus Americana
- Green Ash / Fraxinus pennsylvanica
- American Holly / Ilex opaca
Some native plants for attracting native pollinators and butterflies:
- Amsonia ciliata (CP) Blue star - is nectar for long-tongued insects and hummingbirds
- Aquilegia canadensis Red columbine for bees and hummingbirds
- Aruncus dioicus Goat's beard for butterflies and beetles.
- Bignonia capreolata Crossvine for hummingbirds and butterflies
- Cardamine angustata Cardamine concatenata Toothwort for bees and butterflies
- Caulophyllum thalictroides Blue cohosh nectar and pollen for bees
- Chrysogonum virginianum Green 'n' gold for pollinating flies and bees
- Claytonia virginica Spring beauty for bees
- Coreopsis auriculata Lobed tickseed for bees and butterflies
- Decumaria barbara Wood vamp vine for bees and beetles
- Dicentra cucullaria, D. eximia Bleeding heart for bees
- Erythronium umbilicatum Dimpled trout lily for bees
- Fragaria virginiana Virginia strawberry for birds and butterflies
- Wisteria frutescens American wisteria vine for butterflies
- Salvia lyrata Lyre-leaf sage for bees and butterflies
As you can see the variety and list is long. This is only a peek into the native plants for Atlanta, Georgia. Hurry to hire Lawn Love to assist you with all of your gardening and lawn care needs.
