"Curious though, did you find it required a lot of maintenance at first to get established?"
I totally get where you're coming from with the maintenance worries—I had the same hesitations when I first dove into native plant gardening. Honestly, at first, I thought I'd accidentally signed up for a second job pulling weeds and chasing invasive species around my yard. 😂 But surprisingly, it wasn't nearly as bad as I expected.
The key for me was picking the right plants from the start. I made the rookie mistake of initially choosing some "native" plants that weren't exactly native to my immediate area, and those struggled a bit, leaving room for weeds to creep in. Once I swapped those out for plants that naturally thrive in my local conditions (soil type, moisture levels, etc.), things got way easier. The plants filled in quickly and crowded out most weeds on their own.
Another thing that helped was laying down a good layer of mulch early on—it really cut down on weed growth and saved me from constant weeding sessions. I also learned to embrace a bit of imperfection...a few weeds here and there aren't the end of the world, and honestly, they blend right in once everything grows out.
One tip I'd definitely recommend: don't be afraid to ask around at local nurseries or gardening groups about what works best in your specific area. Gardeners love sharing their experiences (and horror stories), and you might even score some free plant cuttings or seeds.
Hang in there—once your garden gets established, you'll probably find yourself spending less and less time on upkeep. Now my biggest gardening chore is mostly just wandering around with coffee in hand, pretending I'm inspecting things while actually just procrastinating on other projects...
Completely agree about choosing plants that suit your specific area—makes a huge difference. I'd also suggest considering raised beds or slightly elevated planting areas if flooding's a concern. Helped me a ton with drainage and kept things from getting waterlogged after heavy rains...
