Gardening with Native Plants: A Guide for Michigan’s Upper Peninsula by Maria Janowiak, MSU Extension Master Gardener Volunteer
This guide, developed as a volunteer project for the Michigan State University Extension Master Gardener program in March 2020, was designed to help gardeners in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula increase their use of plants that are native to the local landscape and suitable to our area’s unique growing conditions. It is intended to provide a quick overview of the topic, with supporting links to sources for additional reading.
Important help in developing this guide was provided by Brian Black of Bay College.
Native Plants of Delta County Michigan is a compilation of flowers, shrubs, grasses, trees and vines which are native to Delta County with helpful notes on where to plant, when they bloom, height of mature plants, sun requirements, which are good choices for pollinators and more.
The plants listed in this 2017 document are ones that have been propagated by the Bay College Greenhouse from seeds collected locally by Dr. Brian Black.
Why is it important to use native plants in your plantings? “Native plants are indigenous to a particular habitat within a specific region. They are adapted to local conditions and have natural defenses to diseases and insect pests. Importantly, they provide habitat and food for butterflies, hummingbirds, songbirds, and beneficial insects. When planting, match the plants with their native conditions as much as possible. Once established, they will not require supplemental watering and those listed as upland dry and dry prairie can withstand extended periods of drought”.
For more information on the greenhouse at Bay College see: https://www.baycollege.edu/about/facilities/greenhouse.php