Planted with Purpose: 10 Albertan Plants that Help the Environment and Look Great
The right plant choices can make or break a landscape, influencing everything from water efficiency to property value. When our environmental designers are selecting plants, they aim to create planting beds that are aesthetically pleasing, functional, and establish habitat to increase urban biodiversity. These ten carefully selected plants not only look great but also enhance sustainability, durability, and long-term success of our MAGNA Stormpark™ designs.
1. Arumleaf Arrowhead | Sagittaria cuneata
Found throughout North America, the Arumleaf arrowhead grows in marshes, ditches, and shallow water. The roots are edible, and beavers and ducks love them! They are considered a perennial herb, meaning that once they take hold they will persist for many years. They also have delightful, conspicuous flowers that emerge from long stalks.
Why MAGNA likes it
Arumleaf arrowhead plants help to stabilize soil, all while providing food for local wildlife.
2. Balsam Poplar | Populus balsamifera
Balsam poplar trees thrive in moist soil and on terraces along rivers, streams, and flood plains across Alberta. You can identify these deciduous trees by their deep, burrowed bark and their fragrant resin. These trees are fast growing, and have a comparatively short life cycle; however, some can last for centuries.
Why MAGNA likes it
Growing up to 25 m tall, these trees provide great shade for our green space and create a habitat for many local wildlife species.
3. Bee Balm | Monarda fistulosa
Also known as Wild Bergamot, Bee balm is a member of the mint family and can only be found in North America. Found in limy, dry soil, it grows in large clumps with each cluster containing anywhere from 20-50 flowers. It is considered a “honey plant”, attracting bees, butterflies, moths, and hummingbirds alike.
Why MAGNA likes it
This hearty, flowering plant is drought tolerant and showy, ensuring a flowering planting bed from June to September, even in dry conditions.
4. Canada Anemone | Anemone canadensis
Found east of the Rockies, the Canada anemone is one of the most common anemones in Alberta. It can be found in low, moist areas and on the edges of woodlands. Its roots and leaves have been used historically in medicinal practices despite its known irritants.
Why MAGNA likes it
When given the right growing conditions, the Canada anemone grows quickly and is a great plant to establish ground cover. Sometimes known as windflower, the blossoms flutter and dance when the breeze picks up, adding motion and whimsy to our sites .
5. Canadian Milk Vetch | Astralagus canadensis
This perennial features a very distinct cluster of seed pods that stay on the stem long after the seeds have dispersed. Found across Canada and the United States, the Canadian Milk Vetch is adaptable, making its home in wetlands, woodlands, prairies, and anything in between.
Why MAGNA likes it
It’s a tough plant, with roots that stabilize soil. It also adds nitrogen to the soil, supporting growth in neighbouring plants.
6. Coyote Willow | Salix exigua
The Coyote willow has many names, including the Sandbar willow and the Narrowleaf willow. It’s a hardy shrub that grows from 0.5 m to 4 m tall. Over the years, the Coyote willow has had many traditional uses, including being used for fibre and building materials. Willows are also very robust plants that aid in slowing down water when planted in the right spot.
Why MAGNA likes it
The Coyote willow has strong roots that aid soil stabilization, and it can bounce back time and again. These plants are perfect for landscape restoration projects.
7. Saskatoon | Amelancheir alnifolia
Also known as serviceberry or Juneberry , the Saskatoon is spread across North America in soil that is well drained. The plant produces the well known saskatoon berry, an edible sweet fruit eaten by humans and wildlife alike. A beautiful plant regardless of the seasons, Saskatoons are tough and adaptable.
Why MAGNA likes it
The saskatoon is a resilient plant that attracts and feeds local wildlife (including sometimes humans).
8. Smooth Aster | Aster laevis
Found in dry, grassy regions, the Smooth aster is a part of the same family as sunflowers and daisies. The pretty purple flower attracts pollinators like butterflies and bees. They are hardy, lasting late into the year when the nights get cool. They have been observed on-site blooming into October!
Why MAGNA likes it
It’s a hardy plant that stays late into the year and grows up to a metre high. We use the Smooth aster to lend colour to the grassier areas of our designs and provide height variations in our planting beds.
9. Water Smartweed | Persicaria amphibia
Found in shallow water or muddy banks across North America, the Water smartweed is an edible plant with a long history of traditional medicinal use. It provides food and shelter for a variety of wildlife, while also blooming into lovely pink flowers.
Why MAGNA likes it
The Water smartweed provides much needed colour to our MAGNA Stormpark™ designs. It also thrives in various conditions, including full submersion, making it perfect for the wetter areas of a site, and they shine in our treatment wetlands.
10. White Water Crowfoot | Ranunculus aquatilis
Found throughout North America, White water crowfoot provides a valuable home to insects and microbiota that live in shallow and sluggish waterbodies .
Why MAGNA likes it
It’s a big multi-tasking plant. The plants float along in mats on the surface of the water, providing shelter for fish and aquatic invertebrates. It also produces fruit that some ducks and waterfowl eat. As a finishing touch, its delicate white flowers add a natural elegance to our MAGNA Stormpark™ designs, enhancing both beauty and function.
Conclusion
Home buyer priorities are shifting. Many are searching for neighbourhoods that allow their families to connect with nature while still living in a more naturalized environment. At MAGNA, we’ve found that thoughtfully selecting native plants in our designs means that everyone wins, functionally and aesthetically. The extra boost of biodiversity is our way of stewarding the communities and lands we work in.
Have you seen any of these plants around your neighbourhood? Would you like to?