Tough Native Plants for Coastal MA Gardens
Channel: Garden-911 Boston
Date: 2021-10-14

Cape Ann's native trees, shrubs, perennials, annuals, grasses, sedges, vines and bulbs are well-suited for New England gardens and landscapes because they’ve evolved and adapted to New England’s horticultural conditions since the retreat of glaciers about 10,000 years ago. That’s a lot of time to adjust!

RIGHT PLANT, RIGHT PLACE
Since every landscape has unique cultural conditions - like sun/shade, soil, organic matter, drainage, wind and microclimates - it’s important to discover the conditions at your site, then select the native plants that are well-adapted to those conditions. 

PLANT COMMUNITIES - HOW TO  PLAN AND PLANT A HABITAT GARDEN
Plant communities are groups of plants that tend to thrive in their shared environment. They interact with each other - and other living things and form an active ecosystem of pollinators, birds, mammals, insects, the soil food web - as well as the physical environment.

NATIVE PLANT GUIDES and RESOURCES
Among the many guides and resource are the following:

UMass' “Right Plant, Right Place” – A Plant Selection Guide for Managed Landscapes
https://ag.umass.edu/landscape/fact-sheets/right-plant-right-place-plant-selection-guide-for-managed-landscapes

National Wildlife Federation Native Plant Finder
https://www.nwf.org/NativePlantFinder

Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center Native Plant Database
https://www.wildflower.org/plants/

National Audubon Society Native Plants Database
https://www.audubon.org/native-plants

RI Native Plant Guide
https://grownativemass.org

Native Plant Trust
https://www.nativeplanttrust.org/

Weather and geology have significant impacts on the horticultural conditions of Rockport, MA, and other Cape Ann cities and towns. The native plants which grow there naturally are well-suited to the varing conditions. Planning to install the right plants in the right places is a great way to start your own habitat garden.

NEED HELP?
Please visit https://www.garden-911.com/ or text Carol Lundeen at 617-327-9254 if you need a hand with any of the many steps to a successful native plant, pollinator or bird habitat garden.