Local greenthumbs will tell you there are 3 stages to starting a garden full of native plants:
Sleep, Creep, and Leap. Native, water-wise plants spend their first year ‘sleeping’ - putting their energy into building strong root systems. In Year 2 they start creeping - putting energy into building their first strong stems. Finally, in Year 3, they’re leaping - flowering, producing berries, humming with butterflies, and all the things one dreams of in a cottage garden!

It’s Year 1.5 for this garden, and the natives are in their Sleep and Creep phases. We’ve started 4 native trees (a crabapple, a bald cypress, a flowering serviceberry, and a fragrant catalpa) to eventually provide shade and dimension to the garden. And, we’ve planted over 40 varieties of native wildflower and clover to replenish the soil and feed local pollinators. So far, the seasons can be described as follows:

Winter: Everything is dormant, dry, and underwhelming. However, it’s gorgeous when it snows! Hawks are out every day, and rabbit tracks are easy to spot on fresh snow.

Spring: Everything goes green! Irises and tulip bulbs are particularly vibrant throughout the neighborhood, and in late spring, the city magically fills with the blossoms of lilac and fruit trees. Our 100-year old apricot tree explodes with white flowers!

Summer: Heat-loving wildflowers, roses, peonies, and poppies steal the show. The backyard gets tangly and vibrant, and birds, bees, and bunnies are daily visitors. 

Fall: Golden-brown colors of the native plants take over as the flowers fade and birds harvest their seeds. Families of foxes and skunks sneak into the backyard to snack, and even play hide and seek among the brush!

Below are just a few of the native wildflowers we’ve introduced to the garden: