A little advice if you're planning to go native

College botany class left me a bit disappointed. This was mostly because it was centered around woody plant identification and the memorization of scientific names. Most every scientific name Is long and Latin. A few can flow beautifully off your tongue – like Gleditsia triacanthos. Others can cause the accidental, saliva-ladened ejection of your well-chewed wad of gum, like Parthenocissus quinquefolia. (Give me a sec whilst I wipe off my computer screen.) This is Virginia creeper by the way. And speaking of vines, there's Campsis radicans, aka trumpet creeper. This scientific name was odd but easy. Being the clever rebels that us botany students were, we just corrupted the scientific name to Campus radicals. (This ploy was an excellent mnemonic if only we reverted it back to its rightful spelling on tests.) Despite its fun name, I fell in love with the trumpet creeper vine. With its namesake red-orange trumpet-shaped flowers, and perfectly plentiful compound leaves, perched upon its undulous woody frame, it expressed itself in a bold and awe-inspiring way. And the fact that it was a hummingbird magnet prompted me to plant one in my yard immediately after graduation. And as it grew, I came to realize that emphasizing any and all native plants in the home landscape is not wise, and that there is an ounce of truth to Jack's beanstalk story. Axes were employed to remove the beast from the neighbor's nearly collapsing fence. Still, I am a huge fan of utilizing native plants within the home landscape. But, like so many others, it becomes a mass of confusion when it comes to choosing what plants to use, what plants work best and what plants won't rip your house from its foundation and place it well above the clouds. In thinking about this lately, I recalled the National Wildlife Federation's (NWF) simple and ambitious Backyard Wildlife Habitat program. The simple part of the program was to encourage homeowners to take a habitat approach to their yards. As such, the program emphasized the inclusion of water resources, areas of shelter and the planting of native food plants. It designed the program to be adaptable for those with tiny yards as well as those with sprawling acres. (It even had an apartment balcony version.) The ambitious part was the honest admission that to really create a true wildlife habitat in a backyard, it might take up to 30 years! That's not just a nearly over-whelming commitment, but when you realize that watching trees grow is synonymous to watching paint dry, then it becomes a ultra-boring period of time. But considering that the program started in 1973, the 30-year window has been far exceeded. And I wondered how the program has fared. As far as the number of "certified" backyards goes, I could not find data past 2006. From 1973 through 1998, 21,000 yards were certified. That's less than 1,000 per year for this period. However, from 1998 through 2006, 39,000 new yards gained certification. That's nearly 5,000 yards per year. While that shows great growth, what has happened past 2006? One thing that has happened is that NWF launched a sister program called Garden for Wildlife. While it seems to be a great vehicle for participation, it almost seems like it wants to replace the original Backyard Wildlife Habitat program. The one segment of connection leads to the process of officially certifying your backyard and here, while the sign is more impressive than the one in the original program, the content is simplified to just Certified Wildlife Habitat. For some reason, I believe that the inclusion of the word "backyard" has important meaning. To certify your yard through this program, you need to list what plants, water sources, maintenance practices you use, and if you qualify, you pay the $25 fee. In return you get a paper certificate, a year's subscription to NWF's magazines and the opportunity to purchase your official "habitat" sign. Two of the hardest parts of moving your landscaping to a native emphasis are "how to start" and "where to find native plants." NWF makes this easy with its Native Plant Finder tab. Here you can "find" or "shop" native plants. To be fair, and I really mean "to be fair," many other helpful sites provide such information. (Grow Native by the Missouri Prairie Foundation seems like a great and helpful site.) The best sites use your zip code to zero in on the best plants. I would avoid those that just list plants broadly, like northeastern U.S. Also, purchasing plants on many of these web sites is expensive. This is mainly because such plant sales support the organization's other initiatives. In essence, a level of donation is included in each purchase. If you really want to save money, you can purchase their suggestions locally, but if you do, please make sure to steer away from copycat cultivars. Such plants dilute the purpose of creating true native habitats. Locally, I was introduced to a program called Nature In My Backyard. This initiative is a collaboration between the Audubon Society of Cleveland and the Shaker Lakes Garden Club. This program offers both a free assessment visit and a great introductory video. Another missing link in this story is the actual research directed at such programs. Do backyard wildlife habitats really help wildlife? A few studies modestly say yes but a few others lack positive conclusions. Here's my common-sense conclusion: Where once there was nature, there is now a house and lawn and driveway. Thus, such programs do provide, at least, a few concessions that replace what was lost. And don't let anyone fool you, native plants can be downright beautiful! As a concluding sidebar, my daughter's home is adjacent to a neighbor's sprawling Campus radical (aka trumpet creeper). When I was there this summer, my son-in-law had need to use his small flatbed trailer. Before it could be hitched up, a machete was needed to free it from the tentacles of the vine and to ward off the entitled hummingbirds!