Or the real question, why not native plants? Without getting too preachy, there is a plethora of reasons to embrace native plants.

First, native plants are drought tolerant. That summer drought? Yeah it doesn’t matter to native plants because they are used to it. Their roots go deep and they look amazing with little to no irrigation.

On that note, the second reason we embrace native is upkeep is minimal. Natives can outcompete most weeds and if you plant densely, you won’t have many weeds to deal with at all.

Third, native plants support the local ecosystem. Butterflies, bumblebees, goldfinches, all the wildlife around us depend on native plants to provide them with pollen and seeds.

And the last reason? Native plants are just beautiful. The vivid colors, the benefits they provide, their hardiness through drought and cold winters, you just can’t beat them.