CHOOSE NATIVE PLANTS
Refugia uses native plants to create landscapes that are beautiful in all seasons and perform a myriad of ecological functions. Native plants evolved in association with other local plant species, fungi, insects, pollinators, and wildlife. Over time, they have adapted to local climate and soil conditions, reducing the need for both maintenance and excessive inputs like water and fertilizer. Mutually beneficial to both humans and wildlife, native plants create a sense of place and connect us to the natural world and our local ecosystem.
Ecosystems contain a network of checks and balances, creating our local “food web”; which is a network of food chains that exist in any ecological community. It is a complex system that supports all life on our planet - from the fungus to the trees to large mammals (like us!). Non-native ornamental species regarded as “pest-free” do not enter this system and actually distort the natural balances. As a result, insect, bird, and wildlife populations are adversely affected; they have fewer sources of food and habitat, which are both contributing factors to population decline. Additionally, because the growth of non-native plants is not checked by other species, many have invasive tendencies and “escape” from planned landscapes into natural forest and meadow areas, stifling native plant regeneration, and reducing ecosystem biodiversity in all levels of the food web.