How to Garden with Native Plants in North Carolina

The North Carolina Native Plant Society (NCNPS) frames native plants as "the cornerstone for North Carolina's biological diversity" and recommends choosing them as the best way to provide food and shelter for native animals and insects. If you want to start a native garden, the society's website (ncwildflower.org) organizes the process into a few concrete tracks: plant and tree recommendations, landscaping tips, printable handouts, habitat certification, wild seed collection, and a nursery finder. Below is how to work through each one.

Start with recommended plants and trees

The site's "Plants & trees we recommend" section is the entry point for species selection. Rather than guessing what belongs in your region, use the society's recommendations as a starting list, then cross-check against its native plant and tree gallery, which offers detailed photos and search tools.

A practical sequence:

1. Browse the recommended plants and trees to build a candidate list.
2. Open the native plant & tree gallery to confirm identification and see photos.
3. Check the invasive, non-native species list so you don't plant something that works against the goal.

Because North Carolina spans several ecoregions, treat the recommendations as a starting point and match species to your site's light, soil, and moisture rather than planting everything on the list.

Use the landscaping tips and handouts

The society provides "Landscaping tips" and "Printable handouts" as supporting material. These are the fastest way to move from a plant list to an actual layout. The handouts are designed to be printed, which makes them useful for planning on paper or sharing with a landscaper.

If you're working with a designer or contractor, the printable handouts give you a shared reference so the plan stays focused on native species.

Certify your habitat

Habitat certification is listed as one of the site's garden-with-native-plants resources. Certification is a way to formalize a garden that already provides food and shelter for native wildlife. The site does not publish the specific criteria on the pages summarized here, so check the habitat certification page directly for requirements before assuming your garden qualifies.

Collect wild seeds

"How to collect wild seeds" is a separate resource on the site. Collecting seed from wild plants lets you grow locally adapted material, but it also carries responsibility: collect only where permitted, take only what you need, and never dig plants from the wild. Follow the society's guidance rather than improvising, since rules vary by land ownership and species.

Find a nursery

The "Find a nursery" resource points you to sources for native plant material. This matters because many mainstream garden centers stock mostly non-native species. Using the nursery list helps ensure the plants you buy are actually native and appropriate for your area.

Identify plants before you act

The society treats identification as "the first step to moving in the right direction." Its tools include:

• Native plant & tree gallery with detailed photos and search
• Invasive, non-native species list
• Books about native plants
• A list of species without pictures

Identifying both native and non-native plants tells you what you already have and what to remove or keep.

Funding and support for larger projects

If your project goes beyond a home garden, the society offers four funding sources to support work that advances its mission: the Shinn Scholarship Fund, the BW Wells Grant, and the Alice Zawadzki Land Conservation fund (the fourth is listed on the grants and scholarships page). These are aimed at projects, not routine home gardening, so review the eligibility details before applying.

Quick reference

The site does not state pricing or login requirements for these resources in the material available, so verify access directly if you plan to use a specific tool or apply for funding.