Buffers: edible bounty, low-maintenance, pollinator friendly… you pick.

Buffers: edible bounty, low-maintenance, pollinator friendly… you pick.

• Edible buffers are popular these days because they benefit water quality while adding berries, nuts and greens that you can enjoy seasonally. Edible buffers can include native varieties of blueberry, hazelnut, raspberry, salmonberry, nettle and more!

• Keep your yard buzzing and chirping. Plants that support beneficial pollinators, hummingbirds, and songbirds are a popular plant choice for buffers, especially for landowners who want to bring nature into their backyard. Why not create a small wildlife haven at the edge of your property? Applicable plants include: echinacea, ocean spray, red-flowering currant, and serviceberry.

• Some enjoy choosing plants that will bring color throughout the year with ongoing blooms, colorful berries, branches and leaves. Popular plant choices include red osier dogwood, salal and snowberry.

The plant options abound for what can work in a native buffer. Regardless of what appeals to you, a major benefit of planting a native garden is that once the plants are established, your garden is low-maintenance. Native plants are adapted to our wet winters and dry, hot summers – so, once established, they don’t need excessive watering in the summer and they are generally pest resistant, too.