The Up North Garden Guide: Plants, Soils, Climate Changes, and More

MSU Extension shares expert tips for a flourishing garden

By Art Bukowski | June 15, 2024

Life’s always better out in the garden.

And depending on what you plant in your little patch of earth, that maxim might apply to a host of critters that could use a little extra shelter or sustenance.

Decorative gardening has been a popular pastime for centuries, but it’s only been relatively recently that people are paying much closer attention to the so-called “ecosystem services” that a garden can provide, particularly when native plants are selected.

But how do you know what to select and how to plant it? What plants will do better in our soil types and climate? What about pests and other problems?

Northern Express caught up with Nate Walton, a Leelanau County-based consumer horticulture educator with Michigan State University Extension, to discuss all things gardening Up North.

Know Where to Start

There’s a bounty of gardening know-how out there to help you start or maintain a garden in our region. Walton points to a specific Michigan gardening website maintained by MSU (migarden.msu.edu) that contains info about individual plants, gardening techniques, and much more. A separate site (nativeplants.msu.edu) has reams of valuable details about plants native to the state.

There are many other online resources, both educational and commercial, but Walton reminds people to browse wisely. “A definite word of caution about the Internet, because there can be a lot of sources of information out there that are less reliable than others,” Walton says. “I always encourage folks to stick to websites that are created by universities or government agencies.”

Walton also suggests connecting with local nurseries, where staff know just what to plant, what to plant it with, and how to make it all thrive.

“Our local businesses are great resources,” Walton says. “We have a lot of really good nurseries in the area, and certainly those folks have a lot of knowledge to share.”

The MSU extension also maintains a lawn and garden hotline in which people can call and talk with a real, live person about all of their gardening questions. The toll-free hotline (888-678-3464) is open from 9am to 5pm on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.

Last but not least, the extension maintains a native plant garden at the Leelanau County Government Center off M-204 near Suttons Bay for those needing some inspiration or who want a closer look at some of these plants.

Native Is Nice

In almost every situation, Walton says, a native-heavy garden will provide a huge boost to local birds, insects and other wildlife. And choosing native doesn’t mean settling for a less vibrant garden, Walton says, as there are far more showy options than one might suspect.

“More and more you can find some really nice specimens that you can get at local nurseries that are going to look good in your landscape and be able to replace those non-native plants that we’ve gotten so used to using,” Walton says.

All natives are good, but some pack more of a punch than others.

“I always encourage people to plant things like native viburnums or other flowering shrubs,” he says. “A native highbush cranberry is a nice one that produces some flowers. And the thing about the flowering shrubs is that they have flowers for our pollinators and fruit for birds and wildlife.”

A wide variety of insects and birds serve as pollinators, meaning they facilitate the reproduction of plants by carrying pollen from flower to flower as they feed. Walton says native flowers are (you guessed it) among the best choices for local pollinators, and the wider variety, the better.

“Pollinators all have different needs and different life cycles. One of the most important things is that they need a diversity of flowers,” Walton says. “Having a lot of different kinds of flowers and flowers that bloom at different times of year is really important for supporting all of that diversity of pollinators that we have in Michigan.”

The gardener benefits from choosing native plants as well, Walton says. Northern Michigan is not the easiest place to grow plants, but if you pick ones that were meant to be here, they’ll do better.

“The native plants are almost always a little bit lower maintenance,” he says. “They just tend to be a little less needy in terms of water and fertilizer and things like that.”

Soil Expertise

Speaking of tough growing, you’ve probably heard a lot about our region’s sandy soils and the challenges they present. Walton says they’re not inherently as bad as people always assume, but they can make plant care tricky.

“The biggest challenge with sandy soils is that water and nutrients go through them so quickly. Every time you turn on your sprinklers, you’re washing a lot of that nutrition down and away from where the plant roots are,” he says. “And to make matters worse, they can end up going into our groundwater and into our lakes and streams, where we don’t want them.”

Walton advises gardeners in particularly sandy areas to watch the amount of fertilizer they use and modify their watering patterns.

“Make sure you have a soil test that will tell you what you have and what you need and so you’re just giving the plants what they need,” he says. “Be very careful to not overwater—use more frequent light waterings rather than these extended waterings that you space days apart.”

Walton also suggests minimizing pesticides by carefully researching whatever is ailing your plants and seeking out natural remedies. Local nurseries and the gardening hotline can be an excellent resource for this endeavor, he says. And whatever you do, don’t spray just to spray.

“People sometimes use these pesticides in a preventative, proactive fashion, it may be worth taking a step back and making sure that those applications are really necessary,” he says.

The “Sad Reality” of Climate Change

Though it matters less for shorter-lived plants, a changing climate means that what are now good plants and trees for our region might not be in another 50 years. Just last year, the USDA revised its plant hardiness zones (used by gardeners to determine what plants can survive where) for the first time in many years, reflecting significant warming trends.

Northern Michigan was long listed as zone 5b, with average coldest temperatures between -10 and -15 degrees Fahrenheit, data that was based on averages from 1976 to 2005. A 3-degree temperature change between 2012 and 2023 has put us in hardiness zone 6a, with average annual cold temps of -5 to -10 degrees.

Generally speaking, warming means that plants that thrive south of here might soon be a good fit for the region.

“We certainly are seeing some of the effects already of these trends in climate that are pushing some plants farther north,” Walton says. “There are certain plants in the Traverse City area where we’re at sort of the southern edge of their range, and some of those plants are struggling. We do need to think about what plants are growing farther south that we might be able to incorporate into our landscapes to replace those species.”

Climate change is a “sad reality,” Walton says, but it’s better to take steps now to face the growing threat head on.

“It’s important to deal with the hand that we're being dealt here and making sure that we still have trees and plants that are healthy that we can grow to give us shade, to give us food for wildlife, and all those other benefits that these plants can give us in our landscapes [well into the future],” he says.

What to Put in Your Garden

We asked Walton for some of his favorite plants for local gardens. Here’s what he told us.

- Wild Lupine (Lupinus perennis): It has pretty blue flowers that are loved by our native bees. This is also the caterpillar host plant for the endangered Karner Blue butterfly (Lycaeides melissa samuelis).

- Hairy Beard-Tongue (Penstemon hirsutus): An adaptable early blooming species that provides pollen and nectar to early-season bees.

- Spotted Bee Balm (Monarda punctata): Although the flowers won’t win any beauty contests, this plant is a powerhouse when it comes to providing resources to beneficial insects.

- Cup Plant (Silphium perfoliatum): The bases of the leaves hold rainwater for birds to play in. This tall plant is easy to grow and produces abundant yellow sunflower-like blooms.

- Yellow Coneflower (Ratibida pinnata): A tall, slender plant that looks great in uniform stands or integrated into a prairie mix. Feeds an abundance of late summer pollinators.

- Swamp Milkweed (Asclepias incarnata): Fragrant purple blossoms that attract a number of beneficial insects. Provides food for adult Monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus) as well as the caterpillars.

- Shrubby Cinquefoil (Dasiphora fruticosa): A small flowering shrub that is easy to care for and provides flowers for pollinators from July through September.

- Bush Honeysuckle (Diervilla lonicera): A small shrub with attractive foliage and small yellow flowers that are a favorite of native bumble bees.

- Elderberry (Sambucus canadensis): Edible fruits for people and wildlife. The hollow stems provide a natural nesting cavity for native bees.

- Pagoda Dogwood (Cornus alternifolia): A large shrub or small tree that provides abundant blossoms for pollinators and makes for an excellent landscape specimen.

Photo courtesy of MSU Gardening.