Is It Worth Hiring Someone to Maintain My Native Yard?
If you’re considering a native plant landscape (or mostly native) in Florida, you may have heard that native gardens are “low maintenance.” While it’s true that natives require less fertilizer, pesticides, and irrigation than traditional landscapes, there’s an important caveat: maintenance is still a crucial element, especially in the first 1–2 years.
Why the First Years Are the Hardest
New landscapes, native or not, often face the same challenge: weeds.
- Newly installed plants need space, water, and nutrients to establish.
- Unfortunately, weeds also thrive under the same conditions, and can often outpace your young plants if not managed early.
- For homeowners, the first one to two years of upkeep, primarily weeding and pruning, can feel overwhelming, especially if too much time passes.
Most landscape failures aren’t due to the plants themselves (although we always expect a couple plant failures) they’re due to increased volume of weed growth in those first seasons. This weed growth quickly erodes aesthetics and the investment in the landscape.
Herbicides: Helpful, But Not a Complete Solution
It’s tempting to rely on chemical weed control or assume it eliminates weeds once and for all, but here’s what you need to know:
- Post-emergent herbicides work only on living weeds at the time of application. They don’t prevent new weeds from sprouting.
- Pre-emergent herbicides reduce seed germination, but even under ideal conditions, they don’t catch every weed seed. And they don’t prevent weeds emerging from starch reserves like Torpedo Grass and Nutsedge.
- The bottom line: no herbicide will eliminate the need for hands-on maintenance in the early years of a landscape.
A landscape left unattended, even with herbicides, is at high risk of being overrun by weeds, leading to poor aesthetics and stressed plants. Why Weed Control in Florida.
Pruning and Weed Control Are Key to Long-Term Success
A well-maintained native yard early on sets the stage for years of beauty with minimal upkeep.
- Pruning ensures plants grow in their desired form, whether that’s a formal look or a more natural aesthetic.
- Weeding keeps the landscape aesthetics looking fresh and cared for. Weeds can quickly muddle the landscape and give the appearance of desolation.
- Landscapes that receive proper attention in the first two years look better and establish faster, making maintenance easier in the future.
Do You Need to Hire a Professional?
For many homeowners, hiring a landscape professional is worth it for these reasons:
- Expertise: Professionals know which weeds to target and when to prune for the best long-term results.
- Time-Saving: Managing weeds and pruning young landscapes can be labor-intensive. Professionals handle it efficiently. Waiting too long to start a maintenance program can incur greater cost for maintenance and in some cases, requires an initial clean up to get things back to a manageable level.
- Maximized Aesthetic Impact: A yard maintained immediately after installation consistently looks healthier, fuller, and more visually appealing.
Even in a native yard, early maintenance is the difference between a struggling garden and a thriving one. After the first two years, many homeowners find that their native garden settles into a lower-maintenance rhythm, but those first seasons are critical.
Key Takeaways
- Native landscapes are lower maintenance overall, but weeding and pruning are essential early on.
- First-year maintenance directly affects long-term landscape health and aesthetics.
- Herbicides help, but hands-on care cannot be replaced during the establishment period.
- Hiring a professional can save time, reduce stress, and ensure your native yard is off on the right start.
Investing in maintenance at the beginning of your landscape journey sets your yard up for success and allows you to enjoy the natural beauty of Florida’s native plants for years to come.
Tools to Help with Maintenance
