What are the difficulties in planting non-native plants? are there any benefits?

people try many things to get a desired result. when creating a landscape plan, they will often plant non-native trees and shrubs for a variety of reasons.





it's not anyone's place to criticize their choices, but what difficulties or problems may crop up (pun intended) in the care and cultivation of non-native plants? what benefits might be gained? what are your personal experiences?





another point to be taken... is the growing of exotic food crops more acceptable in some quarters than the growing of exotic trees and ornamentals? why or why not?

What are the difficulties in planting non-native plants? are there any benefits?
INDIGENOUS PLANTS





Planting indigenous plants is a controversy that is relevant to a specific time frame ,Opportunity and Climatic conditions.





There is a layer of air about 2 kilometer up that has all kinds of seeds insects ,what have you that have been added by updrafts and super condensation ,


This is where the raining of frogs comes from.





read Lyell Watson's book Heavens breath .





This corridor circumnavigates the planet ,and insects and seeds have been found on the North pole ,(as well as pollution )





So the whole planet becomes a possible home for many types of seed that travel the skies.


The seeds take hold where the conditions are favorable ,


Just like coconuts drifting on the sea ,will start to grow ,where ever the temperature is favorable ,





Volcanic islands ,(that are born) start with nothing but lava ,


coconuts drifting in are the pioneers ,their trash the beginning of soil .


Visiting birds sow more seeds in their droppings and Nature begins to take hold .





So who is to say what is indigenous ,it depends on the birds and the weather .





Eucalyptus goes all around the globe just in the winds .





However established Eco systems have equilibrium's between the flora and fauna that took thousands of years to get fine tuned .





We or Nature can come in with other species of flora or fauna that are outside of the pros and cons of the existing Eco -system ,there not existing a predator or other kind of governing agent to keep the introduced specie in balance.





So having said all that is it wrong to introduce species that are not indigenous





This depends on how it is done ,





Release rabbits into a place with no predators and we will be up to our ears in rabbits .





But to have an Orchard full of exotic species of fruit ,what ever will grow in the local circumstances ,to my mind is exiting not immoral


or dangerous ,





One has to know what one is doing





Eucalyptus ,planted in the middle of the garden


will screw up the garden in the long run


with only a giant tree at the end and nothing else .





But this same tree planted on barren mountain slopes is a pioneer that breaks open the rocks ,makes composts


and with time replace them with other milder trees like poplars ,can be the start of a forest





Eucalyptus has many uses ,for its timber and the leaves also they make a nice candy, that they drop all around .





Wattle /mimosa ,is a pest that clogs up water courses ,and is totally invasive there ,but planted in isolation on dry ground is recommended to plant for fuel .





So by all means plant non resident stuff ,but be careful where you put it .





The pros. of starting a garden with indigenous plants are (there are no cons. here)


that the plant will have no problem with the climate ,so their progress is more certain





They are also more disease or pest ,resistant .





And serious horticulturalists will like you a lot better ,I made a 100% indigenous garden in the Drakensberg in South Africa ,and it became talked about over night .it is a recommendation for quality and principals .





Most of my gardens have been mainly Indigenous ,simple because the plants where easily available .


The plants for the garden i am in now all come from the surrounding sierra and river side .





But the horrible truth is that if somebody comes with a nice plant from another place ,i will find a spot for it





And one will be amazed what is all available ,in the indigenous category ,when you start to research it .





I have friends who have indigenous nurseries ,and it does not cease to surprise me as too how many species that is


.


So for the ornamental section i would suggest stay indigenous .meaning the indigenous of this century(because the nature is forever changing over time )





And if not under close surveillance ,after all one is experimenting with equilibriums ,who knows what will happen .?





But for the food garden, plant anything that will grow





And the benefits ,all tend to be on the indigenous side .
Reply:Makes for a lot of extra work...non native plants need special care like protection from the cold or excessive heat, dryness, etc. You may need to cover or bring inside at times, to protect them.
Reply:I can think of far more difficulties, tracing everything from Water hyacinths to dandelions, however some, like the blackberries and raspberries have indigenised wonderfully and further diversified. Exotic food crops often harbour diseases to which native species lack immunity, and themselves frequently lack immunity to native diseases, this caused an economic buts in our local area, which became dependent on hops as a major cash crop (I live on an old former hop farm near Cooperstown, New York) the hops were nearly wiped out by the tobacco mosaic virus around the end of the 19th century, and it's still in those that grow wild here, although new resistant strains have been brought in in the last 20 years. The Green revolution which promised food self sufficiency to developing nations has done almost exactly the opposite, ruining traditional farmers who don't have the money for necessary seed (hybrids do not produce seed crops), fertilizer, and necessary machinery and land. Tree culture is more acceptable because it involves smaller plantations and doesn't deplete the soil as rapidly in our declining rain-forests, and sustainable forestry has definite benefits over harvesting old growth. If ornamental are kept in check they usually don't pose as many problems, it's hard to think what a proper English garden would look like without them, I was surprised to see smartweed grown as a border plant in England's Midlands, though. Most serious gardeners are careful about control (although that's where those pesky hyacinths and kudzu vines came from).





[edit: Walking in San Francisco, I loved the smell of the eucalyptus, an introduced exotic that did well there without apparent problems. I greatly miss the beauty and fragrance of the mimosa of my native Southern Illinois, it's one of those plants whose spread is limited by climate, although I can see the problems where this is not the case. The diversity of indigenous plants is definitely better, and should be more explored and exploited.]
Reply:Differences in care and maintenance, since they are not from that region could be significant.





Watering problems: one wants more, one wants less





Soil quality: Different regions have different levels of nutrients.





Pest control: Non native might not have the defenses with regional pests.





Disease:Non native might not have the ability to fight regional disease.





I'll try and think of some others and repost.
Reply:The biggest draw back to growing non-native species is that they require more work. They have not developed to survive in the climate you transplant them into. They may require more water, so you need to frequently water them. They may require warmth your climate does not naturally provide, or more shade than native plants.





Or they may thrive, and lacking the natural controls that keep them from becoming invasive, take over your garden. To prevent that, may require frequent "weeding" to keep shoots, suckers, seedlings, etc. from spreading the plant. (Picture the trees covered with english ivy and kudzu around the country)