NATIVE PLANTS FOR MEMPHIS TN GARDENS.

Memphis Native Plants Provide Real Impact.

Pictured below is an extremely important species for our area. If you don’t recognize her, then I am pleased to introduce you to Pycnanthemum tenuifolium, or ‘narrow-leaf mountain mint.’ I snapped this photo on a powerline in Memphis that includes this plant and another of other native grasses, native wildflowers, native shrubs, and native trees. Every single Memphis yard should feature this plant somewhere - no landscape or garden is complete without it. “Why’s that?”, you may be asking yourself. We can immediately recall and point to the nearest retail chain stores in Memphis, but largely we can’t do the same for our native wildflowers in Memphis.

Pycnanthemum tenuifolium is a beautiful native plant found right in our larger Memphis backyard, but very few in number. There’s a powerline easement at the border of Memphis, Germantown, and Cordova where this plant is hanging in there. It’s frequently mowed, sprayed, and destroyed in development. We should be seeing and recognizing this plant as commonly as we see our chain stores; this is precisely why we should be using plants found within our eco-region, in our landscapes and gardens. Our Memphis pollinators, birds, and wildlife depend on plants like Pycnanthemum tenuifolium - but also the other plant species found in these very specific plant communities. Our eco-regions (Alluvial, Bluff Hills, Loess Plains, Coastal Plains) and their respective plant communities deserve to be known, seen, and protected!

We can help you incorporate the plants found in our eco-region into your landscapes and garden plantings. Native plants when used thoughtfully can be multifunctional, providing both beauty and value. Gardening is such a beautiful way to impact the world around us. Let’s create something meaningful together. Click here to learn where to find native plants in Memphis.