Native plants are one of the best ways that you can support the environment. A native plant garden restores habitat for pollinators (such as bees and butterflies) while supporting beautiful and beneficial wildlife. But you and many others are probably wondering: how long will it take for my native plants to start growing and helping pollinators?

At My Home Park, we discovered that native plants can grow into stunning gardens in their first year. Generally, it takes 2-3 years for native perennials to fully mature. The old adage is that plants in their first year Sleep, second year Creep, and third year Leap. Using well-established plugs, our experience thus far shows that native plants can already form a beautiful garden even in their first year. Look below to see how well native plants can establish in just 3 months:

We were amazed at the growth of these 250 native flowers and grasses in just 90 days! I visited this native plant garden on November 14 and the garden was still flowering: from purple coneflowers and lanceleaf coreopsis to New England aster and Ohio spiderwort. Over the next two years, this garden will continue to fill in and cover this garden bed, crowding out weeds and retaining moisture in the soil.