Wild indigo, trout lily, bloodroot, Virginia rose, red chokeberry … what do these plants have in common?

All are native plant species, and some can even be found in the wild in our area. People often think of native species as being found only in wildflower gardens and overgrown lots. That is not the case at all. Natives can be worked into any landscape, even the most manicured.

“Stefan Bloodworth is willing to tell you how,” says a spokesman for the Greenway Wildlife Habitat Committee, which is sponsoring a free workshop.

Bloodworth, curator of the Blomquist Garden of Southeastern Native Plants at the Sarah P. Duke Gardens in Durham, will speak at a workshop Saturday, Feb. 5, from 10:30 to noon at the Pinehurst Village Hall, 395 Magnolia Road. The Greenway Wildlife Habitat Committee is part of the Pinehurst Conservation Commission.

In his presentation, Bloodworth will talk about his favorite native plants, how to introduce them to the garden, and where to buy them. He will also talk about how to identify which plants are native to the area.

Native plants perform better in the garden than non-natives for a number of reasons.

“Plants that have evolved with the soils and climate of a ­particular region will be better adapted to withstand ­subtle shifts in climate from year to year, and will be well adapted to make use of locally native pollinators and seed dispersers such as birds and insects,” says Bloodworth.

To identify whether a plant is native to this area, Bloodworth visits the website plants.usda.gov.

“Entering the species information into this website will give you the states, and even further, the individual counties within a particular state where a plant can be found in the wild,” he says.

With eight years of experience as curator of Blomquist Garden and 16 years as a landscape contractor specializing in native plants, Bloodworth is well-qualified to provide advice on how to introduce native plants into local landscapes. The Blomquist Garden is a five-acre collection of approximately 1,000 species of native plants from the southeastern U.S., ­giving Bloodworth firsthand experience on growing natives.

Bloodworth has personal plant favorites.

“In my landscape design, I have a number of native species I like to use on a regular basis,” he says. “Plants like Illicium parviflorum (a small flowered anise tree that is great for screening), Aesculus ­parviflora (bottlebrush buckeye — great winter bones and excellent fall color) as well as perennials like Sanguinaria canadensis (bloodroot — excellent spring woodland wildflower) and Erythronium umbilicatum (trout-lily — delicate early spring wildflower) are all regulars in my designs.”

Bloodworth does not, ­however, limit his designs to native plants.

“It can be difficult to fill every horticultural niche with a native species, so I often use native species in conjunction with non-native counterparts to achieve a balanced landscape,” he says.

There are a number of nurseries within North Carolina that do a good job protecting, cultivating and providing a good selection of native species for sale to local residents, according to Bloodworth.

“Local retail nurseries are often not aware of the availability of native plants, and once they find out about local or regional suppliers, are often willing to bring in native material if they feel the demand is there,” he says.

“Hopefully his presentation will make local ­gardeners and garden centers more aware of the desirability of using such plants and their availability will increase,” says the ­committee spokesman. “When ­shopping for native plants it is important to identify the desired plant by its botanical rather than common name in order to find the correct species.”

Bloodworth lists some additional personal plant favorites that can be found in the wild here in the Sandhills.

“Some plants that I like that can be found in the wild in the Sandhills region are the Gaylussacias or Huckleberries, the Leucothoes or Doghobbles, the Baptisias or Wild Indigos, and the Silphiums or Rosinweeds, among many others,” he says. “I’ll talk in more detail about many of these topics in my talk on the 5th.”

A visit to the Butterfly Habitat along the Pinehurst Greenway Trail will provide an opportunity to view many plants that are native to the Sandhills. It is located on the portion of the trail that runs next to the FirstHealth Center for Fitness and Health.

For information, call (910) 295-1900 or visit www.villageofpinehurst.org.