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A lush green lawn and garden full of exotic flowers make a house look beautiful. But maintaining that lawn and garden uses a lot of water and fertilizer, not to mention the energy used to trim the plants, whether by hand or by machine. Many yards are filled with plants that originally grew in other regions and climates. Excess use of water may not increase polluting emissions, but it is also not energy efficient.

To counteract this, some people are landscaping with plants native to the region they live in. There are many advantages to using native plants. They require much less care, since they are already adapted to the local climate. These plants also thrive more easily, since they are in their native environment. That means they are more resistant to local pests and diseases. Many regions now maintain Web sites that list native plants for gardeners to use.