There are few greater online native lawn resources than Reddit's r/NativePlantGardening.
The native plant enthusiasts and experts who frequent the subreddit are always willing to answer questions and offer advice. As a recent post shows, they're even willing to go deep into the weeds to help out a fellow native-plant gardener.
One user had a rather complicated question in her post. "Mulch, landscaping fabric (ugh) and perennial spread: how to help my plants spread underground by seed?" she asked.
"I recently bought a house in eastern MA (zone 6b) where the front yard had landscape fabric installed deep under the soil and mulch," she wrote. "I was able to remove the front few feet of landscape fabric entirely, but it was >8-16 inches deep in the back and so pretty impossible to remove fully."
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She added: "I've been putting in all kinds of native perennials, and I'd like for them to fill in by seed or root/rhizome spread. But now I'm worried that the landscape fabric will prevent anything from seeding in, and block the underground spread of plants. … Is there anything I can do?"
Landscaping fabric is highly controversial in the world of gardening. It's mostly used to prevent weed growth and soil erosion, but it can do far more harm than good in many cases. Landscape fabric can negatively impact soil quality in various ways and harm or kill plant life.
But it may not be all bad. "It's best to remove as much as you can, but I have quite a bit still in my gardens and I find my plants growing through and around it all the time," one commenter shared.
"The roots of most perennials and shrubs don't extend more than a foot or so deep so the fabric may not be a problem," another offered.
But other commenters were staunch in their anti-fabric opinion. "I would just want to try to get it out anyway cause that stuff is truly disgusting and evil," one said.
And for homeowners who want to avoid the potential landscaping hassle, natural lawns are an easy solution.
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Mowing the lawn 🏡 By filling your property with native plants, you can improve soil quality, promote biodiversity, and support critical pollinators. Not only that, but native lawns can save you money — not to mention time and energy — by reducing your lawn's maintenance needs.
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