• VISITthe Preserve
    • Plan Your Visit
      • Purchase Tickets
      • Hours and Admission
      • Directions
      • Map
      • Visitor Center
      • Tips for Visitors
    • What’s in Season
      • Spring
      • Summer
      • Fall
      • Winter
    • Things to See and Do
      • Calendar
      • Follow the Trails
      • For Kids & Families
      • For Birders
  • EXPLOREthe Grounds
    • A Sense of Place
      • Virtual Tour
      • Geology
      • Historic Land Use
      • History of the Preserve
    • Special Habitat Areas
      • Meadow
      • Aquetong Meadow
      • Penn’s Woods
      • Heritage Forest
      • Limestone Habitat
      • Founders’ Pond
      • Pond
      • Pidcock Creek, Dam & Mill Race
      • Green Labyrinth
    • Historic Elements
      • Stone Arch Bridge
      • Log Cabin
      • The Captain James Moore Pavilion
    • News
      • Twinleaf Newsletter
      • In the News
      • Accreditations & Affiliations
  • GROWNative Plants
    • About Native Plants
      • What is a Native Plant?
      • What is a Plant Community?
      • Why are Native Plants and Plant Communities Important?
      • Plant Stewardship at the Preserve
    • Native Plant Nursery
      • Buying Native Plants
      • Native Plant Catalog
      • Grow Houses
      • Plant Grants
    • Garden with Natives
      • Why Native Plants Matter
      • Native Plant Benefits
      • Understanding Plant Communities in Your Garden
      • Attracting Birds, Bees and Butterflies
      • Transitioning Your Garden
      • Get Started
      • Native Plant Profiles from A to Z
      • Right Plant, Right Place
      • Maintaining Your Garden
      • Invasive Species
      • What Threats Do Invasives Pose to Our Native Plant Communities?
    • Living Museum Collection of Native Plants
      • Curation & Acquisitions
      • Partnering with the Community
      • Contributing to Our Plant Collection
  • LEARN& Discover
    • Calendar
    • Tour the Preserve
      • Guided Wildflower Walks
      • Self-Guided Walks
      • Group Tours
    • Talks, Walks, & Lectures
      • Exploring Nature
      • Thursday Night Nature
      • Winter Lecture Series
      • Knowing Native Plants
      • Growing Native Plants
      • Specialty Walks
      • Workshops & Events
        • Ecology & Conservation
        • Art, Health & Nature
        • Birding Programs
        • Penn State Extension Programs
    • Kids & Family Programs
      • Children’s Summer Reading
      • Nature Buddies
      • Nature Explorations
      • Schools & Scouts
        • School Group Tours
        • Off-Site Programs
        • Scout Tour and Badge
    • Become a Naturalist
      • What is a Naturalist?
      • Ask a Naturalist
      • Naturalist Training Overviews
      • Core Training
      • Advanced Training
      • Supplemental Learning
      • Naturalist Fulfillment
    • Conferences & Symposia
      • Land Ethics Symposium
      • Land Ethics Award
      • Native Plants in the Landscape Conference at Millersville
    • Videos
  • PEOPLEof the Preserve
    • Our Story
      • Our Mission
      • What Makes Bowman’s Hill Wildflower Preserve Unique
    • Our Board & Advisors
      • Board of Trustees
      • Advisory Council
    • Our Staff
    • Our Volunteers
    • Voices of Our Volunteers
  • SPECIALEvents
    • Spring Wildflower Gala
      • About the Gala
      • Gala Sponsors & Sponsorship
      • Gala Auction
    • Your Event at the Preserve
      • Wedding & Event Venues
      • Policies & Fees
  • JOIN US& Support
    • Become a Member
      • Levels of Membership
      • Join Now!
      • Library Pass Program
    • Become a Volunteer
      • Opportunities for Everyone
      • Opportunities for Teens
      • Naturalist
      • Corporate Groups/Service Groups
      • Special Projects
      • Volunteer Application
    • Employment Opportunities
    • Give a Gift
      • Annual Fund
      • Endowment Fund
      • Memorial & Tribute Gifts
      • Bequests
      • Form 990
    • Become a Sponsor
      • Land Ethics Symposium
      • Native Plants in the Landscape Conference Millersville
      • Spring Wildflower Gala
    • Additional Sponsorship Opportunities
      • Pocket Habitats in the Community
      • Become a Business Partner
        • Become a Partner
BUY NATIVE PLANTS
GIVE A GIFT TODAY
Contact Us
Bowman's Hill Wildflower PreserveBowman's Hill Wildflower Preserve
  • VISITthe Preserve
    • Plan Your Visit
      • Purchase Tickets
      • Hours and Admission
      • Directions
      • Map
      • Visitor Center
      • Tips for Visitors
    • What’s in Season
      • Spring
      • Summer
      • Fall
      • Winter
    • Things to See and Do
      • Calendar
      • Follow the Trails
      • For Kids & Families
      • For Birders
  • EXPLOREthe Grounds
    • A Sense of Place
      • Virtual Tour
      • Geology
      • Historic Land Use
      • History of the Preserve
    • Special Habitat Areas
      • Meadow
      • Aquetong Meadow
      • Penn’s Woods
      • Heritage Forest
      • Limestone Habitat
      • Founders’ Pond
      • Pond
      • Pidcock Creek, Dam & Mill Race
      • Green Labyrinth
    • Historic Elements
      • Stone Arch Bridge
      • Log Cabin
      • The Captain James Moore Pavilion
    • News
      • Twinleaf Newsletter
      • In the News
      • Accreditations & Affiliations
  • GROWNative Plants
    • About Native Plants
      • What is a Native Plant?
      • What is a Plant Community?
      • Why are Native Plants and Plant Communities Important?
      • Plant Stewardship at the Preserve
    • Native Plant Nursery
      • Buying Native Plants
      • Native Plant Catalog
      • Grow Houses
      • Plant Grants
    • Garden with Natives
      • Why Native Plants Matter
      • Native Plant Benefits
      • Understanding Plant Communities in Your Garden
      • Attracting Birds, Bees and Butterflies
      • Transitioning Your Garden
      • Get Started
      • Native Plant Profiles from A to Z
      • Right Plant, Right Place
      • Maintaining Your Garden
      • Invasive Species
      • What Threats Do Invasives Pose to Our Native Plant Communities?
    • Living Museum Collection of Native Plants
      • Curation & Acquisitions
      • Partnering with the Community
      • Contributing to Our Plant Collection
  • LEARN& Discover
    • Calendar
    • Tour the Preserve
      • Guided Wildflower Walks
      • Self-Guided Walks
      • Group Tours
    • Talks, Walks, & Lectures
      • Exploring Nature
      • Thursday Night Nature
      • Winter Lecture Series
      • Knowing Native Plants
      • Growing Native Plants
      • Specialty Walks
      • Workshops & Events
        • Ecology & Conservation
        • Art, Health & Nature
        • Birding Programs
        • Penn State Extension Programs
    • Kids & Family Programs
      • Children’s Summer Reading
      • Nature Buddies
      • Nature Explorations
      • Schools & Scouts
        • School Group Tours
        • Off-Site Programs
        • Scout Tour and Badge
    • Become a Naturalist
      • What is a Naturalist?
      • Ask a Naturalist
      • Naturalist Training Overviews
      • Core Training
      • Advanced Training
      • Supplemental Learning
      • Naturalist Fulfillment
    • Conferences & Symposia
      • Land Ethics Symposium
      • Land Ethics Award
      • Native Plants in the Landscape Conference at Millersville
    • Videos
  • PEOPLEof the Preserve
    • Our Story
      • Our Mission
      • What Makes Bowman’s Hill Wildflower Preserve Unique
    • Our Board & Advisors
      • Board of Trustees
      • Advisory Council
    • Our Staff
    • Our Volunteers
    • Voices of Our Volunteers
  • SPECIALEvents
    • Spring Wildflower Gala
      • About the Gala
      • Gala Sponsors & Sponsorship
      • Gala Auction
    • Your Event at the Preserve
      • Wedding & Event Venues
      • Policies & Fees
  • JOIN US& Support
    • Become a Member
      • Levels of Membership
      • Join Now!
      • Library Pass Program
    • Become a Volunteer
      • Opportunities for Everyone
      • Opportunities for Teens
      • Naturalist
      • Corporate Groups/Service Groups
      • Special Projects
      • Volunteer Application
    • Employment Opportunities
    • Give a Gift
      • Annual Fund
      • Endowment Fund
      • Memorial & Tribute Gifts
      • Bequests
      • Form 990
    • Become a Sponsor
      • Land Ethics Symposium
      • Native Plants in the Landscape Conference Millersville
      • Spring Wildflower Gala
    • Additional Sponsorship Opportunities
      • Pocket Habitats in the Community
      • Become a Business Partner
        • Become a Partner

Grow Native Plants

  • Home
  • GROW Native Plants
  • Garden With Natives

Garden with Natives

Why Native Plants Matter

As more and more of the land around us is developed and/or degraded, the home landscape is becoming increasingly important in the preservation of healthy, balanced ecosystems. We now know how important it is to change our perceptions and our practices in finding new ways to define the beauty we want in our yards and gardens while simultaneously preserving the natural world as it was meant to be. Therefore, we must learn to incorporate practices that preserve landscapes in their more natural states.

First and foremost, this means planting species on your property that evolved to grow there.

Plants that are native to a given locale or ecosystem evolved to coexist with all other forms of life also found there, and—along with soil type and climate considerations—form the foundation of complex food webs in which species are dependent on each other for their very survival.

Quite simply, the abundant and highly diverse native species of plants, shrubs, vines and trees characteristic of our landscape do a better job—the best ecologically-balanced job—of providing food and shelter for the many insects, birds, amphibians, reptiles, mammals and other life forms that can, and should, be found there.

Using more native plants has many other benefits as well. Aesthetically, they can be beautiful, and many have long blooming seasons. Many native plants also have other worthwhile attributes, such as beautiful foliage or bark, attractive seed heads and striking fall color, and their appeal may cover several seasons of the year as well, including winter.

Once established, native plants may also require less water than many introduced species, and can require less maintenance, especially treatment with chemical fertilizers and pesticides. They are better able to resist pests/diseases because pathogens are much less likely to inflict damage in a balanced ecosystem. Water quality and soil conditions are much improved when these toxins are kept out of the soil and our watersheds.


Native Plant Benefits

  • Attract butterflies, bees and other native pollinators
  • Provide food and shelter for wildlife
  • Grow easily once established and require less water and maintenance
  • Reduce the need for toxic chemicals
  • Evolved to be in harmony and interdependent with local wildlife
  • Prevent invasives from gaining a foothold in the landscape
  • Provide beauty, delight and “sense of place.”

Understanding Plant Communities in Your Garden

Native plants are often easy to grow, especially when grown in plant communities where each plant inhabits its proper growing niche. Plants that are sited properly in plant communities typically show a “layered” effect where different species occupy different heights in the growing zone, including not only the growth above ground but also in the roots below ground. This is especially important at the soil level, where groundcover plants act as “green mulch,” negating the need for repeated applications of bark/wood mulch. Native plant communities are often successful in out-competing invasive plants as well, preventing them from gaining a foothold in your garden.

Garden with Natives

  • Why Native Plants Matter
  • Native Plant Benefits
  • Understanding Plant Communities in Your Garden
  • Attracting Birds, Bees and Butterflies
  • Transitioning Your Garden
  • Get Started
  • Native Plant Profiles from A to Z
  • Maintaining Your Garden
  • Right Plant, Right Place
  • Invasive Species
  • What Threats Do Invasives Pose to Our Native Plant Communities?

Make a donation to the Preserve today

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Become a member today!

Join today Membership includes admission to the Preserve and more!

EXPERIENCE WHAT’S NATURAL | LEARN WHAT’S NATIVE

Bowman's Hill Wildflower Preserve inspires the appreciation and use of native plants by serving as a sanctuary and an educational resource for conservation and stewardship.

Make a difference, become a Member today.

CONTACT US
Tel: 215.862.2924
Email: bhwp@bhwp.org
Mail: PO Box 685 | New Hope | PA 18938

1635 River Road | New Hope | PA 18938

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HOURS
April - June
Open Daily from 9 am - 5 pm
Last admission at 4pm

July - March
Open Tue - Sun from 10 am - 4 pm
Last admission at 3pm

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