Why I stopped ignoring native plants after a chat with my neighbor

I used to think native plants were just boring weeds that didn't look as good as the fancy roses and tulips I bought at the garden center. But last week my neighbor June, who's 70 and has been gardening here for 40 years, showed me her backyard. She had this patch of milkweed with monarch caterpillars all over it. She told me she hasn't watered it once in the last 5 years and it still comes back thicker every spring. Then she pointed out that my roses need constant spraying and special fertilizer just to survive our clay soil. I went home and looked at my water bill from July, which was $140 just for keeping my flower beds alive. That hit different. Now I'm planning to rip out half my front bed and put in some black-eyed Susans and purple coneflowers that actually belong here. Has anyone else made the switch and regretted it or was it worth it?

3 comments

3 Comments

sean_barnes244d agoMost Upvoted

Lol that thing about property values is interesting but honestly the bigger shocker for me was finding out how many birds and bugs straight up vanished from my yard when I converted to all exotics. June's milkweed isn't just saving water, it's basically a diner for whole food chain.

troyknight4d ago

June's milkweed story hit me hard too because I saw a neighbor down the street rip out his entire front lawn for native sedges and wild bergamot, and his water bill dropped from like $200 in summer to basically nothing. He told me the first year was rough while the roots got established, but by year three he was deadheading maybe twice a season and the whole thing looked better than any of the turf lawns on the block. That $140 July bill you mentioned is exactly what made me start swapping out my hybrid tea roses for butterfly weed and little bluestem, and I haven't regretted a penny saved or a minute of free time not spent spraying chemicals.

angela_morgan4d ago

Keep an eye on property values too. A study from my county extension showed that well-designed native landscapes actually sold faster than turf lawns in our neighborhood. People are starting to see the savings on their own water bills and realizing that a yard that works with the local climate is a real asset, not an eyesore.