Native Gardening: Tips for Maintaining Your Garden

Understanding Native Gardens

What is a Native Garden?

A native garden is a beautiful way to bring the natural charm of your local ecosystem right into your backyard. By featuring plants that are native to your specific region, these gardens create a habitat that supports local wildlife, including birds, bees, and butterflies. One of the biggest perks? Native gardens typically require less maintenance than traditional gardens because the plants are already adapted to the local climate and soil conditions. Imagine a garden that thrives with minimal effort while providing a sanctuary for local fauna—sounds perfect, right?

Native plants like coneflowers, black-eyed Susans, and grasses like switch grass are not only stunning but also resilient. They can handle the local weather, resist pests, and often need less water. Plus, they help maintain the ecological balance by supporting pollinators and other beneficial insects. If you’re looking to create a garden that’s both beautiful and eco-friendly, a native garden is the way to go.

Dead-Heading Spent Flowers: To Trim or Not to Trim?

Coneflowers (Echinacea) are one of the most beloved native plants among My Home Park customers. However, they can grow quite tall—sometimes reaching up to five feet depending on the species— and can self-seed quickly! Many gardeners wonder if they should trim these towering beauties. The answer? It depends on your goals.

Dead-heading is the practice of trimming spent flowering buds, including dead flowers and faded flowers, to promote plant health and prevent seed dispersal. It’s a simple process:

• Identify a flower stem that has bloomed.
• Look for the next bud below the flower on the stem.
• Cut the stem slightly above this next bud.

Pinching involves cutting off the stems of dead flowers to encourage new growth and maintain the overall appearance of the plants. Trimming top shoots can also help shape plants and encourage denser growth.

It is important to check for hidden flower buds among faded blooms before shearing to ensure you do not remove potential new growth.

Aesthetic benefits of dead-heading include keeping your garden looking tidy and preventing plants from getting too leggy. Regular deadheading can lead to more flowers and improve the aesthetic and health of the plants. However, leaving seed heads intact provides valuable food for overwintering birds and supports pollinators in the local ecosystem. Understanding when to deadhead plants to maximize flowering and plant health is essential. While dead-heading is an option, we generally recommend leaving them be to maximize ecological benefits.

The Chelsea Chop: Keeping Autumn Flowering Perennials in Check

If you’ve noticed that certain native plants are growing too quickly and outpacing others in your garden, the Chelsea Chop is a specific pruning method that can help manage plant growth. For example, Wild Bergamot (Monarda fistulosa) can sometimes overshadow surrounding plants. While their vigorous growth is a good sign of a healthy garden, it can also lead to top-heavy plants that droop after a storm.

The Chelsea Chop can enhance the growth and aesthetics of herbaceous perennials by encouraging side shoots and reducing flopping.

To perform the Chelsea Chop:

• Use a sharp pair of hedging shears.
• In late spring or early summer, cut the entire plant back by about 50%.
• This technique helps keep plants shorter and more manageable.

This technique can be applied to specific native species, at the right time, including:

• New England Aster (Symphyotrichum novae-angliae)
• Lavender Hyssop (Agastache foeniculum)
• Black-eyed Susans (Rudbeckia hirta)
• Brown-eyed Susans (Rudbeckia triloba)
• Culver’s Root (Veronicastrum virginicum)
• False Sunflower (Heliopsis helianthoides)
• Phlox (Phlox spp.)
• Tall Bellflower (Campanula americana)
• Yarrow (Achillea millefolium)

The Chelsea Chop helps keep plants compact, encourages bushier growth, and can even extend blooming periods for some species. Always be sure to double check your plant is well-suited for the Chelsea chop.

Deterring Deer: Not Just a Local Problem

One of the biggest challenges for native gardens is wildlife browsing. The number one cause of native plant failure isn’t improper care; it’s deer and other animals munching on your plants!

At My Home Park, we joke about the “3 W’s” of landscaping: Watering, Weeding, and Wabbits (rabbits)—but deer are often the most persistent culprits. If you want to protect your plants, here are five tried-and-true methods:

1. Plant Selection – Choose deer-resistant plants, such as:

   • Wild Indigo (Baptisia spp.)
   • Yarrow (Achillea millefolium)
   • Bee Balm (Monarda didyma)
   • Blue Star (Amsonia tabernaemontana)
2. Plant Barriers – Installing fencing, mesh netting, or even thorny shrubs around susceptible plants can help deter deer. Neighboring plants can also serve as protective buffers, reducing direct browsing on more vulnerable species.
3. Sprays – Natural repellents can discourage deer browsing. We recommend Deer Out and have also heard great things about Plantskydd.
4. Lights & Motion Sensors – Deer are skittish by nature. Installing motion-activated lights or sprinklers can startle them and keep them away from your garden beds.
5. Watering Strategies – Surprisingly, a simple water source can sometimes deter deer, as they prefer easy access to food near water. Creating a water feature can sometimes divert them from foraging in your plants.

By implementing a combination of these strategies, you can significantly reduce deer damage and keep your native plants flourishing.

Additional Tips for Maintaining Your Native Plants Garden

Keep It Simple: Common Names Over Botanical Names

Learning the scientific names of plants can be useful, but it’s not necessary to enjoy native gardening. Don't feel intimidated, you'll still be friends with fellow gardeners when you say "Black-eyed Susan" rather than "Rudbeckia hirta."

Skip the Expensive Lab Analysis—Use a Simple Soil Test

You don’t need to spend hundreds of dollars on lab soil tests. A basic DIY soil test will tell you everything you need to know about pH levels, nutrient content, and drainage. My Home Park offers simple soil tests to help you assess your garden's condition without breaking the bank.

Be Flexible with Your Garden Conditions

Many native plants are highly adaptable and thrive in a range of conditions. When selecting plants, check out My Home Park’s plant glossary to find species suited for variable environments.

Final Recommendations

Maintaining a native garden is a rewarding experience that doesn’t have to be complicated. By dead-heading selectively, using the Chelsea Chop technique, deterring deer, and following a few simple best practices, you can enjoy a thriving, low-maintenance landscape that supports local wildlife and pollinators. Removing flowers at the right time and managing garden beds effectively can further optimize plant health and longevity. During winter, leaving foliage and seed heads intact can provide shelter and food sources for wildlife.

To make things easier, be sure to check out My Home Park’s resources such as our native plant glossary, custom garden design, or build your own garden! Your garden—and the environment—will thank you!

Build Your Own Garden

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