How Locally Grown Native Plants Create More Resilient Landscapes

As the landscape industry shifts toward using more native plants, an important question emerges: where do those plants actually come from? And perhaps more importantly, are all “native plants” are created equal?

When we think about ecological restoration or designing gardens that support biodiversity, we often focus on species selection. But the genetics of individual plants are just as important. A healthy ecosystem is genetically diverse. Within any naturally occurring population of plants, each individual carries slight genetic variations. This diversity is the result of sexual reproduction — pollen from one genetically distinct plant fertilizes the flower of another, producing seed that contains a unique combination of DNA. Those seeds are then dispersed by wind, water, birds, mammals, or gravity, eventually germinating somewhere new. Over generations, this process creates populations that are resilient, adaptable, and best suited to the conditions of their local environment.

Plants also reproduce vegetatively. Many species spread underground through rhizomes or stolons, sending up what appear to be new plants nearby. But genetically, these are not new individuals, they are extensions of the same organism. Nurseries often use similar propagation techniques. A cutting taken from a plant can be rooted and grown into another plant, but it remains genetically identical to the original. In some cases, even seed-grown nursery stock may come from highly controlled or limited genetic sources, reducing variability across entire crops.

Why does this matter? Because genetic diversity is what allows ecosystems to adapt.

As climates shift, new diseases emerge, and invasive pests spread into new regions, some plants will inevitably struggle. But within a genetically diverse population, certain individuals may possess traits that allow them to survive changing conditions. For example, a greater tolerance to drought, resistance to disease, or the ability to thrive in warmer winters. Those individuals reproduce, and over time the population adapts. This is one of the fundamental mechanisms that allows ecosystems to persist.

When entire populations are genetically uniform, that resilience disappears. If one plant is vulnerable to a disease or environmental stressor, they may all be vulnerable. We have already seen examples of this in agriculture and urban forestry, where genetic sameness can lead to catastrophic losses when a pest or pathogen arrives.

But beyond resilience, genetic diversity is simply beautiful. Natural systems contain variation, irregularity, and unpredictability. No two plants are exactly alike. Some grow taller, some flower earlier, some produce slightly different colours or forms. These subtle differences are part of what gives wild landscapes their richness and character.

There is another issue with conventional nursery production as well: provenance.

A plant may technically be native to Ontario, but if its genetic material originated hundreds or thousands of kilometres away, it may not be adapted to the local conditions where it is ultimately planted. Soil composition, temperature fluctuations, precipitation patterns, day length, local pollinators, and relationships with surrounding plant communities all shape how populations evolve over time. Moving plant genetics too far from their original ecological context can reduce survival and ecological function. This is why locally sourced native seed is so important.

Plants grown from responsibly collected local seed are far more likely to be adapted to the conditions in which they will live. They carry the genetic memory of that place. And when grown from broad, diverse seed collections rather than cloned stock, they help preserve the adaptive potential of local ecosystems into the future.

Of course, seed collection must be done carefully and ethically. Harvesting from wild populations requires restraint. Enough seed must be left for natural regeneration, wildlife, and ecological continuity. A book that has deeply influenced my thinking on this subject is Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer, which explores the relationship between ecology, stewardship, and reciprocity. One of its central lessons is about sustainable harvesting.

Here in Ontario, the non-profit group Carolinian Canada has been leading important work around this issue through initiatives that encourage nurseries and growers to produce plants from responsibly sourced native seed. Their efforts aim to strengthen regional seed supply chains, preserve local genetics, and increase the availability of ecologically appropriate plant material for restoration and landscape projects.

The more designers, contractors, municipalities, and homeowners begin asking nurseries for locally sourced, seed-grown native plants, the more growers will invest in producing them. As supply increases, these plants become easier to specify, easier to source, and easier to integrate into the realities of landscape construction and horticultural production.