Native plants are those that occur naturally in a region in which they evolved. They are the ecological basis upon which life depends, including birds and people. Without them and the insects that co-evolved with them, local birds cannot survive. Native flowers, shrubs and trees support more species of local insects including pollinators. For example, the Monarch Butterfly needs milkweed for all stages of life and only the native milkweed plants can support the Monarch Butterfly.
That is not saying it is bad to have non-native plants in your garden, as long as they are not invasive. There is nothing wrong with planting a plant because you like it, but mixing in about 10% native plants or more will benefit all your local animals. In my garden I am lucky enough to have 34 species of native plants out of a total about 107 plants. For me, I am considering any plant that is native to New England and New York to be native for my garden.
Eurybia divaricata
Phlox subulata 'Drummond Pink'
