How are native gardens different from daylilies or hostas? What are the advantages to gardening with native plants?

Native landscaping emphasizes plants that have grown in our area for a long time and are well adapted to our soil sand climate. We look to plant communities - groupings of plants that might be found together in nature - rather than beds of a single plant species. What are the advantages of native landscaping for the homeowner?

A garden rich with plants native to our region will be gentler to the planet. Native plants do not require expensive fertilizers or pesticides. They have long and extensive root systems that penetrate deeply into the soil, improve soil quality, and allow water to percolate gently into the earth, instead of puddling or running off. Native landscaping requires less watering, since the native plants are adapted to our climate.