This guide provides the residents of the Virginia Piedmont with a listing of businesses, most of them local, that offer products and services that promote our native biodiversity! Go Native Go Local aims to strengthen the local economy and is a sister publication to our Buy Fresh Buy Local guide. If you use this guide, please let the businesses know that The Piedmont Environmental Council sent you! 

Download the Go Native Go Local Guide (PDF) (last updated in 2015)

WHY PLANT NATIVES?

• Plants are the foundation of wildlife habitat. Native plants provide better habitat for wildlife than non-native and ornamental plants.
• Native plants have evolved with our ecosystem, which makes them easier to care for. They don’t require fertilizer and don’t use as much water as traditional garden plants.
• Most natives have developed their own natural defenses against local diseases and pests.
• Native plants can be just as showy as their traditional counterparts! There are native plants available for every type of garden or landscape.
• Some non-natives can become invasive (e.g. Stiltgrass, Autumn Olive, Tree of Heaven)