The maintenance advantages native gardens offer will change how you spend your weekends. You will water less and skip the fertilizers. You can forget about pesticides and cut your mowing time way down. Your native plants do most of the work on their own once you get them started in your yard.
I used to spend four to five hours every weekend keeping my lawn green. Mowing took me an hour each time. Then I had to edge, water, and weed. Spreading fertilizer added more time each month. After I converted half my lawn to native plants, my yard work dropped to about one hour per week during the growing season.
Low maintenance native plants earn their name because they adapted to your local conditions. They grew up with your region's rainfall and soil. They do not need extra water once their roots settle into your ground. Your native garden can go weeks without rain and still look healthy. Meanwhile, your neighbor's lawn turns brown and crispy.
Penn State Extension reports that your established native plants need almost no care. You do not need to prune, deadhead, water, or fertilize them. Your plants grew for centuries without human help. They know how to find nutrients in your soil and fight off local pests. You can put away your sprayers and bags of chemicals for good.
The pest control in your garden happens through co-evolution. Your native insects and native plants grew up together over time. This created a balance where no single pest overwhelms your plants. Your native plants also attract birds that eat problem bugs for you. I watched chickadees clear aphids from my native willows in about two days flat.
Your native garden care requirements come down to just a few simple tasks each year. Cut back your dead stems in late winter before new growth starts. Pull any weeds that pop up in spring while they stay small. Add a thin layer of leaf mulch in fall to feed your soil. That covers most of what you need to do.
Most native gardens need just one or two mowings per year from you. I cut my meadow area once in March before the plants wake up. This removes dead material and lets sunlight reach my new sprouts. You can add a second cut in late fall after your plants drop their seeds. That is your whole mowing routine for the year.
I ran my own test comparing time spent on both sections of my yard last summer. My lawn area needed mowing every week without fail. My native meadow needed nothing but watching. The difference saved me about three hours each week during the hot months.
You can skip watering once your plants establish their root systems. This takes about one to two growing seasons for most species in your yard. During that first year, water your new plants weekly when rain does not fall. After your roots grow deep, your plants find water on their own.
The time savings add up fast over a full year for you. I calculated that I spend about 40 hours less on yard work now than I did with my traditional lawn. That time goes to enjoying my garden instead of working on it. You will find yourself sitting outside watching birds rather than pushing a mower around your yard.
Read the full article: 10 Essential Benefits of Native Plants
