Native planting that earns its place
Native planting is the backbone of most of the gardens I design. Natives have evolved alongside the insects, birds and fungi of this country, they suit the climate they are standing in, and they usually need less help to establish.
That does not make a native-only rule sensible. The useful question is what a plant contributes: does it suit the conditions, does it support something, and does it hold its own through the year?
What natives bring
Native trees, shrubs and hedging carry more insect life than almost anything else you can plant, and that insect life is what feeds birds. Hawthorn, blackthorn, hazel, field maple, holly, guelder rose and dog rose all make good garden plants as well as good habitat, and they can be clipped, laid or left loose depending on the space.
In the herbaceous layer, natives and near-natives such as knapweed, scabious, betony, wild marjoram, hedge bedstraw and primrose earn their place on looks alone, and they pull in pollinators without any special pleading.
Matching plant to condition, not to wish list
Aspect, drainage, exposure and soil decide what will thrive. Shade under a mature tree, a hot south-facing wall, a wet corner that never really dries out and a windswept balcony are four different gardens, and planting each of them as though it were the same is the most common reason planting fails.
The South West is mild and wet by national standards, but increasingly punctuated by dry spells. Planting that copes with both wet winters and dry summers is now the sensible default.
When a non-native is the better choice
There are situations where a native simply does not do the job. Long-flowering perennials that extend the nectar season into late autumn, tough plants that cope with the heat and drainage of a roof or balcony, or structural evergreens for a shaded courtyard are often non-native.
Used well, these plants extend what the garden can offer rather than diluting it. What matters is avoiding anything invasive, and not letting a handful of ornamental plants crowd out the species doing the ecological work.
Establishment and aftercare
Even drought-tolerant planting needs watering through its first season or two while roots go down. After that, the aim is to stop: planting that has been watered every week for years never learns to look after itself.
Leaving stems and seed heads standing over winter, cutting back late rather than early, and resisting the urge to tidy every fallen leaf does more for wildlife than any single plant choice.
Written by George Hughes-Stanton of GHS Spaces, a landscape design practice based in Bristol. See the projects or get in touch.