For generations, the dominant landscaping model in Vermont has centered on manicured lawns and non‑native shrubs. While visually familiar, this approach comes with hidden costs: high maintenance requirements, increased chemical inputs, and persistent insect problems. These challenges are not accidental—they are symptoms of a system that removes native plants while expecting native ecosystems to continue functioning.
Why the Old Model Is Failing
All terrestrial ecosystems depend on native insects. These insects evolved alongside native plants over thousands of years and form the foundation of food webs that support birds, mammals, amphibians, and healthy soils. When native plants are eliminated, native insects cannot survive. Without those insects, pest populations become harder to control, biodiversity collapses, and landscapes require ever‑increasing levels of human intervention.
As climate instability becomes the norm, the weaknesses of non‑native landscaping are becoming even more apparent. Many imported plants struggle with Vermont’s changing weather patterns and survive only through intensive watering, fertilization, and pest control. The result is a fragile landscape that demands constant effort simply to persist.
This does not mean abandoning care or stewardship. All plants—native or non‑native—require attention and respect. However, when non‑native plants naturally decline or fail, they can be thoughtfully replaced with native species that are far more resilient and better suited to Vermont’s conditions.
Vermont Is an Ecosystem, Not a Style
Vermont is not just a place, Adam Gebb says, it is a living system shaped by millennia of ecological relationships. Forests, meadows, wetlands, and rivers evolved together with the insects, birds, and plants that still define the region today. Native landscaping works with this reality rather than against it.
Maximizing native biodiversity on a property requires a shift in thinking. Instead of forcing uniformity, native landscaping begins by observing conditions:
- Sunny and shaded areas
- Wet and dry soils
- Alkaline and acidic conditions
- Wind exposure and drainage patterns
When native species are matched to the conditions they evolved to thrive in, they become the most resilient plants you can place in the landscape.
The Benefits of Native Landscaping
Designing with native plants delivers tangible and lasting advantages:
- Greater biodiversity: More flowers, longer bloom periods, and a wider range of plant forms
- More life: Increased beneficial insect activity and bird song,
- Lower maintenance: Reduced need for watering, fertilizers, and pest control
- Climate resilience: Plants adapted to local conditions are better equipped to handle extremes
Perhaps most importantly, native landscaping fosters a deeper relationship with place. A backyard becomes more than a backdrop—it becomes an active participant in Vermont’s natural systems.
A Healthier Future Starts at Home
An entirely new landscaping reality is not only possible—it is already taking root across Vermont. By restoring native plants to our yards and communities, we support the insects and wildlife that sustain healthy ecosystems. In return, we gain landscapes that are more beautiful, more resilient, and more alive.
Native landscaping offers a path toward a healthier future—one backyard at a time.