Creating a native garden brings a wealth of benefits for both people and the planet. But what happens when the project doesn't go as planned? One gardener shared their experience with an unsuccessful wildflower project and picked up some tips on what went wrong. 

"The objective is to make a great environment for wildlife and especially pollinators," shared the gardener on the r/NoLawns subreddit after explaining the attempts they had made over the previous four years to establish a wildflower meadow. Unfortunately, the grass kept growing back and outcompeting the wildflowers they planted, preventing the meadow from flourishing. 

The gardener, located in Normandy, France, then asked for advice on what they should do next to salvage the project, sharing that their meadow was particularly wet and wondering if that was why the grass was thriving and outcompeting the flowers they planted. 

"I've been unable to establish [anything]," the gardener wrote, explaining that they couldn't even get knapweed, which had done well in some parts of their meadow, to grow in the main part. 

The gardener received lots of advice from fellow native garden advocates, including looking into wet meadow species and covering the area with tarps during the growing season to kill the grass. "The beauty of this is how little work it takes, no tillage or anything just set out a tarp and let the sun work for you," one commenter wrote. 

Rewilding a yard can help create a healthy ecosystem while reducing the amount of time and money people need to spend on maintaining their garden. Native plants are much hardier and adapted to local conditions, which means they don't guzzle water like traditional lawns and the nutrients they need are already present in the soil. 

Converting even a fraction of a garden can help people reap these benefits, significantly reducing water bills, money spent on fertilizers, and energy needed to power mowers and other yard tools. 

Additionally, native gardens help support local wildlife, which is important for healthy ecosystems. This is particularly crucial for pollinator populations, such as bees and butterflies, that are currently in decline. These creatures are essential for pollinating a variety of crops and protecting food security. 

"Larger plants like trees and shrubs would also be very helpful to wildlife/pollinators, however you would have to do some research on which ones are native to your area," one commenter suggested to the gardener. 

Another added, "Never skip getting rid of the grass unless it is a native grass suitable for your future project."

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