What Are Native Plants and Why Do They Matter?

One of my favourite gardening topics and hyper-fixations is native plants: what they are, why they matter, and whether they really make a difference in home gardens.

At the Marigold Market, supporting biodiversity and healthy ecosystems is one of the core values behind what we’re building, and native plants are an important part of that conversation.

That said, we also believe gardening should feel approachable, flexible, and enjoyable. A healthy garden doesn’t need to be perfectly “all native” to support wildlife and pollinators in meaningful ways. Even small choices can make a difference.

What Is a Native Plant?

A native plant is a species that naturally occurs in a region and has developed alongside the local climate, soil, insects, birds, and wildlife over long periods of time.

In our region of Alberta, native plants include species like:

• Yarrow

• Wild Bergamot

• Fireweed

• Blanket Flower

• Bunchberry

• Prickly Rose

• Saskatoon Berries

• and a whole lot more!

Because these plants evolved as part of the local ecosystem, many native insects and animals rely on them directly for food, shelter, nesting material, or reproduction.

Why Native Plants Are Important

Native plants help support entire ecosystems, not just pollinators. Many native bees, butterflies, moths, birds, and beneficial insects have close relationships with specific plant species. Some insects can only reproduce using certain native host plants, and those insects then become food sources for birds and other wildlife.

Native plants also tend to:

• support greater biodiversity

• require less watering once established

• tolerate local weather conditions better

• provide natural food and shelter for wildlife

• improve soil health over time

In colder climates like Northern Alberta, hardy native species are often especially valuable because they’re already adapted to short growing seasons and extreme winters.

Native vs Non-Native Plants

This is where gardening conversations sometimes become unnecessarily rigid.

Non-native plants are not automatically harmful, and many garden flowers still provide meaningful support for pollinators and people alike. Some non-native species are excellent nectar sources, while others simply bring beauty, joy, and connection to gardening.

At the same time, certain invasive species can choke out local ecosystems and create ecological problems, which is why thoughtful plant selection is so important. The goal isn’t perfection, it’s balance.

A garden that mixes native plants with carefully chosen non-invasive ornamentals can still become an incredibly valuable space for pollinators, birds, and biodiversity.

Small Gardens Matter!

One of the biggest misconceptions about conservation gardening is the idea that you need a huge property to make any impact. You don’t!

You can even utilize a small space by putting out a few pollinator-friendly containers, planting a patch of a patch of native wildflowers, leaving seed heads standing through winter, reducing pesticide use, adding water sources for wildlife and by planting flowering species with staggered bloom times.

When enough people make small ecological choices, those spaces begin connecting together across entire communities.

Native Plants in Lac La Biche

One thing we’ve especially appreciated since moving to Lac La Biche is how connected this region still feels to the surrounding landscape and it’s diverse ecosystems.

Between the boreal forest, wetlands, lakes, and natural areas, there’s already an incredible amount of biodiversity here. Native plants play a major role in supporting that system, especially for pollinators, birds, and overwintering insects.

Even incorporating a few native species into gardens and yards can help strengthen those ecological connections over time.

Why We Care About It

At the Marigold Market, flowers are only part of the bigger picture. We care deeply about how gardens connect people back to nature and how small growing spaces can support healthier ecosystems overall. Native plants are one of the many tools that help make that possible.

Even as a cut flower farm, incorporating native species into what we grow and share remains important to us. Native flowers don’t always fit the perfectly polished, symmetrical bouquet style people are used to seeing, but honestly, that’s part of why we love them.

Nature isn’t perfectly organized.

It’s layered, seasonal, a little chaotic, and full of movement and variation. Native plants bring a softer, more natural feeling into arrangements and gardens while also supporting pollinators, birds, and biodiversity in meaningful ways.

Part of what we hope to do through the Marigold Market is help introduce people to plants they may not have considered before and encourage more curiosity about the ecosystems already surrounding us.

Because beauty in a garden doesn’t only come from perfection, it comes from creating space for life to thrive!