When the money is actually spent in a native yard project
A cash-flow view of a native yard conversion: what you pay in each phase, where the long lead times sit, and how to spread cost across two seasons.
Native Yardworks
7 sectionsFeatures7
A realistic timeline for native landscaping projects
What a native yard conversion actually takes, month by month: observation, sourcing lead times, the planting window and two seasons of establishment.
Front yard plant combinations in 2027: 12 to consider
Twelve native front-yard planting recipes built from roles rather than shopping lists, with the regional species that usually fill each role.
How climate changes the choices for native yard projects
Heat, drought, wind, flooding and shifting seasons all narrow a native plant list. How to read your local conditions instead of national advice.
How climate changes the choices for regional native plants
Provenance, heat tolerance, water timing and fire history all shift a native plant list. How to weigh local climate evidence before you order stock.
Low-cost native planting options for small spaces
How to convert a small area for very little: sheet mulching over turf, plugs and seed, plant swaps, and the savings that turn out to be false.
Small-space options for native landscaping that work
Balconies, side yards, hell strips and single beds: how to fit regional native plants into a tight footprint without creating a maintenance problem.
Rules6
What to ask before hiring help with lawn replacement
The questions that matter when hiring turf removal: grass identification, method, licensing for herbicide work, disposal, utilities and what happens next.
Front yard plant combinations: hiring questions
Fourteen questions that tell you whether a designer or crew can actually deliver a native front yard, and the paperwork to ask for before signing.
How permits and local codes affect native yard costs
Permit fees are the small part. Drawings, surveys, inspections, licensed trades, revisions and delay costs are what local rules really add to a budget.
How permits and local codes affect native landscaping
Weed ordinances, height limits, sight triangles, right-of-way strips and HOA covenants all reach a native planting. Here is how to check yours first.
How to read a native yard bid and compare contractors on price
How to make three bids comparable: matched scope, real quantities, honest allowances, and the exclusions that turn a low number into a high invoice.
How to vet a contractor for native landscaping in 2027
The questions that separate a native-plant specialist from a mow-and-blow crew, plus the contract terms that keep substitutions and watering honest.
Reviews6
Front yard plant combinations: choices compared
Formal or naturalistic, plugs or gallons, straight species or cultivars, all at once or phased: the four decisions that shape a native front yard.
Native yard tools and products worth testing in 2027
A plain test protocol for soil probes, moisture meters, plant labels, edging, mulch and weed tools, with the checks that expose a useless product.
Regional native plants compared for value, upkeep and fit
How to judge a native plant for your own yard: geographic evidence, site fit, mature behavior, upkeep load and whether you can actually buy it.
Testing plant stock, seed and supplies for a native yard
How to judge nursery stock, seed lots, tree guards, labels and supports before you commit, with the checks that separate quality from packaging.
Which native yard upgrades add everyday value
Ranking native yard upgrades by what they change day to day: shade, less mowing, fewer pests, drier basements and a yard you can walk through.
Which native plant roles add the most everyday value
Ranking plant roles by daily payoff: shade, screening, ground cover, erosion control and wet-spot planting, with how to fill each one regionally.
Maintenance5
A maintenance plan for native yard projects after year one
What changes once a native planting is established: less watering, smarter weeding, staged cutbacks and a short seasonal checklist you can keep.
A maintenance plan for regional native plants after year one
A species-by-species care routine for an established native planting: identity records, spread checks, staged cutbacks and division on the right clock.
Front yard plant combinations: problems and fixes
Diagnosing the eight things that go wrong in a native front yard, from flopping stems and bare soil to weeds that keep coming back after removal.
What homeowners regret about native yard budgets
The budget regrets that repeat: plant-only estimates, unfunded aftercare, silent substitutions, change orders, and savings that were never real.
What homeowners regret about native landscaping
The five regrets that come up again and again after a native conversion, and the decision that would have prevented each one before planting day.
Guides4
A plain-English look at how lawn replacement works
What actually happens when you convert lawn: identifying the turf, killing it properly, keeping the soil covered, and planting something that stays.
Front yard plant combinations: the first steps
The eight things to do before buying a single plant for the front yard, from drawing the site and finding the right-of-way to running one small test bed.
Getting started with native landscaping across the U.S.
How to start a native planting anywhere in the United States: read the site first, check what is native nearby, plan water, then convert one area.
How to plan native yard projects from start to finish
Run a native yard project like a project: define scope, gather site evidence, get approvals, buy against a list, then manage two seasons of aftercare.
Costs3
How to set a realistic budget for lawn replacement
Costing a lawn conversion honestly: removal and disposal, replacement planting, irrigation changes, two seasons of aftercare and the rebate fine print.
Front yard plant combinations: costs and budget
Where the money actually goes in a front-yard native planting, which line items people forget, and how to cut cost without cutting the result.
Where the money goes in a native yard conversion
A cost breakdown of native yard conversions: which lines dominate, which get forgotten, and why the cheapest bid usually leaves the aftercare out.
Industry2
Five lessons from real native planting projects
Five lessons drawn from documented public and community native plantings: grasses matter, local sourcing is a partnership, and aftercare decides results.
Five lessons from regional native plant restorations
What documented prairie and desert restorations teach a homeowner about geographic scale, remnant habitat, seed collection and long-term records.