GARDEN local leaves
REGIONAL ROOTS 10 Native Plants for Lake Style and Substance
B Y R YA N T I P P S
From their abilities to optimize water usage and provide habitats for pollinators to their effects on controlling erosion and improving air quality, native plant species are sought by Smith Mountain Lake homeowners who are eager to reap those benefits. Especially when balancing factors such as deer pressure and the steep slopes on some lakefront properties, finding the right native plants to augment a yard requires careful analysis and decision-making. Seven Oaks Landscape & Hardscape, originally founded by Dave Bower as Dave’s Landscaping, has been based in Franklin County for more than 30 years. The company has about 75 employees and focuses on the design, building and maintenance of residential landscaping. Galen Layman has been with the company for 18 years and is in charge of purchasing plants from vendors for Seven Oaks construction projects. Layman is keen on weighing his options when selecting native plants for a customer. He zeroes in on using trees, shrubs and groundcovers. With flowers, another landscaping cornerstone, there aren’t many true natives that are readily available. He said that many plant breeders will often take native varieties and breed them up for pest resistance, smlhomemagazine.com
but then they’re no longer a true native. And with flowers, unless the customer has mitigating circumstances, they can become a buffet for deer. “We have significant deer issues in most places around Smith Mountain Lake — and in some areas, they’ll eat everything, but in other sections of the lake, they’ll only eat specific plants,” Layman said. “Some plants, like day lilies and hosta, deer will walk miles to eat those. So we have to stay away from those types of plants unless we’re in a fenced garden area.” “Native” may be a term that’s used loosely by some retailers and landscapers, but there are many options for true native plants around the lake if people choose them. Layman talks about 10 such plants that stand out: 101