Page 17 - MNLGA Free State Winter 2025

Stormwater and Water Quality Compliance

Trees, shrubs, graminoids, and other herbaceous plants
are a crucial, cost-effective component of municipal
separate storm sewer system (MS4) plans. Maryland,
along with other states, encourages the use of native
plants because they are adapted to local growing
conditions, preserve the state's natural heritage, and
support significantly more local wildlife than non-
3,4
native ornamentals . At the county and city level,
preference for natives is often reflected in recently revised
Landscaping Manuals that require a certain percentage
of native woodies (and sometimes perennials) for new
construction and municipal projects. Cohesive state-
level and municipal planting ordinances are increasingly
supporting an expanding and dependable native plant Female Common Yellowthroat with caterpillar. Photo by Paul Danese
market for the nursery and landscaping industries. Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 Int’l license.

TAKEAWAY: A stable market gives growers the necessary Climate-Resilience Planning
lead time to propagate the diverse stock of native plants
Public and private landowners are starting to focus
needed for both capital projects and cost share/rebate
on building more durability and resiliency into their
programs for private landowners.
landscapes so they can withstand higher average
Community Interest in Being Part of the Solution temperatures, more intense storms, flooding, and salt-

Noted entomologist and author, Doug Tallamy, has water intrusion. These stressors can make plants more
7
introduced many of us to the compelling story linking vulnerable to pest and disease outbreaks . Increasing
native plants, herbivorous insects, and birds. In short, biodiversity by going beyond the limited palette
herbivorous insects rely on host plants with which commonly used is a powerful tool because if one species
they’ve co-evolved, and terrestrial birds rely on those is attacked, other species will continue to provide beauty
5,6
insects–mainly caterpillars–to feed their nestlings . and function. Many plants native to the Coastal Plain
By maintaining at least 70% native vegetation in our are well-adapted to varying degrees of salinity and are
landscapes, we can help restore robust food webs [6]. The good candidates to bolster shoreline defenses. Further,
remaining 30% can be non-native plants, so long as they monitoring and modelling efforts show that many long-
aren’t invasive. lived native tree species are thriving and expected to
persist under projected temperature scenarios (see Karin
Once people learn these concepts and the importance
Burghardt’s MD’s 5 Million Trees Project and RISCCnetwork.
of our landscaping choices, it’s a game-changer. We
org/northeast).
begin to view our landscapes–and how we care for
them–through an entirely new lens. The conservation TAKEAWAY: Native plants are a climate-smart choice that
landscaping movement has empowered gardeners to municipalities and private landowners are increasingly
take action by transforming their lawns and gardens incorporating into landscape projects to meet multiple
into functional landscapes that can sustain healthy performance objectives. Proactively selecting and
ecosystems. The nursery and landscaping industries are marketing native plants that can withstand current and
important partners in reimagining our green spaces. projected environmental changes can position your
business well to meet demand (see the resources below
TAKEAWAY: A new, ecological garden aesthetic has taken
for plant recommendations).
root, requiring a lot of native plant materials, as well
as professionals, to design, install, and maintain more While the native plant market has made steady and
naturalistic landscapes. significant gains, challenges remain. A few of the

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Membership Matters • WINTER 2025 17