Download a Free Native-Plant Garden Plan for Your Specific Region

Created by landscape designers, the plans come with native plant lists for 19 different US eco-regions.

By
Melissa Breyer
Black and white headshot
Melissa Breyer
Former Senior Editorial Director
  • Hunter College
  • F.I.T., State University of New York
  • Cornell University

Melissa Breyer is Treehugger’s former senior editorial director. Her writing and photography have been featured in The New York Times, The Guardian, National Geographic, Audubon Magazine, and elsewhere.

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Updated August 20, 2024 10:19AM EDT
A collage showing illustrations of garden plans

Courtesy of Wild Ones

Native plants, as the name indicates, grow naturally in an area or region. There is a growing shift among many people away from a manicured garden with non-local species in support of more natural areas, and especially, for embracing native plants.

Native plant communities are essential for supporting pollinators, who are having a rough time with the tragic trifecta of habitat destruction, pesticide use, and climate change. Native plants also provide food and habitat for wildlife, reduce erosion and improve soil, mitigate flooding, sequester carbon, filter water, and more.

According to an analysis conducted by Conservation Science Partners published in 2019, "From 2001 to 2017, the United States lost a football field’s worth of natural area every 30 seconds and if these trends continue, a South Dakota-sized expanse of natural places will disappear between now and 2050. This information and more on native plants was published in the non-profit website, Wild Ones: Native Plants, Natural Landscapes. Wild Ones is an organization that promotes "environmentally sound landscaping practices to preserve biodiversity through the preservation, restoration, and establishment of native plant communities."

Among the many wonderful resources that Wild Ones offers is a detailed map of eco-regions. Each of the 19 designs has been created by a different professional landscape designer and is earmarked for a specific eco-region in the United States:

“We can no longer leave conservation to the conservationists," says Doug Tallamy, Wild Ones’ Lifetime Honorary Director. Native plant gardens in the private and public spaces of our own communities are our best hope for saving our environment," he says, adding “we must now act collectively to put our ecosystems back together again.”

A detailed garden plan with illustrations and listing of native plants
Native garden design for the St. Louis eco-region, designed by Susie Van de Riet.

Courtesy of Wild Ones

Wild Ones Executive Director Jen Ainsworth concurs. “It’s crucial that we re-examine our approach to stewarding the spaces we own (our yards), as well as the public spaces in our communities. We need to adopt landscaping methods that are sustainable and promote the health and wellbeing of all forms of life. We hope our native garden plans inspire, encourage, and motivate individuals throughout the United States to make this important shift in their approach to landscaping. Nature is depending on the participation of all of us.”

We love the garden plans and all the goodness that Wild Ones does in promoting more sustainable ways to use our gardens. Note that you can also join a Wild Ones chapter to find like-minded gardeners in your area. Seed swap, anyone?