The Village of Homewood has been changing its landscaping by replacing lots of plants with native species outside village buildings and parkways. 

According to Homewood Arborist Bryon Doerr, the goal is to create a new, more appealing look to attract people to Homewood.   

“Our landscape division has been in charge of revamping our landscape look,” Doerr said, adding, “they want new, younger families coming into Homewood. They want this to be a nice place to live.”

The arborist and his staff have tried getting rid of all the annuals that they used to plant. The annuals would cost about $10,000 annually, Doerr said. 

Doerr said natives are less work to plant and are more beautiful. The team planted about 20 or 30 landscape beds with native plugs and perennials in them, he said. 

“We’re really proud of it, and we’ve gotten a lot of exposure. People are really on board, and we’re gonna continue that,” Doerr said. 

Natives are a good alternative and an effort towards increasing sustainability and lowering carbon footprint, he said. 

Doerr supports the idea of homeowners following in the village’s footsteps by planting natives themselves. 

“The biggest thing if they want to consider natives is just do your research. Do your research, figure out your soil types, figure out what plants you want,” Doerr said. 

Doerr also encourages residents to read and ask questions, and to take advantage of the resources out there. He recommends using Google and fine tuning their search to fit what they are looking for. There are also a lot of books on natives that are available, he said.