Ecological Garden Care

We use nature as our guide in how we install and care for the Brightside garden. The approaches below reflect what has worked for us, helping plantings establish quickly, remain resilient, and require less long-term upkeep. These same ideas can be applied to home landscapes of all sizes.

Planting The Garden

Plant in Spring or Fall
We do most, if not all, of our planting in spring and fall. Cooler temperatures and more consistent rainfall help plants establish strong root systems before facing summer heat or winter cold.

Use Potted Plants
While growing native plants from seed can be economical, rewarding, and highly effective, we rely primarily on potted plants from nurseries. Potted plants provide immediate structure, make plant placement easier, and establish more reliably in our disturbed urban soils. For people new to native plants, they also make it easier to tell the difference between young plants and weeds right away.

When selecting potted plants, we often choose smaller sizes — such as plugs or quart-sized containers — rather than larger gallon pots. These smaller plants adapt more quickly to site conditions, experience less transplant stress, and typically catch up to larger plants within a growing season. They also allow us to plant more densely and fill spaces more quickly, often at a lower cost.

Lay Out Plants Densely
Rather than spacing plants far apart, we lay out plants relatively close together — typically 12–18 inches apart, depending on mature size. Dense planting allows plants to grow into one another, creating a living canopy that shades the soil, holds moisture, and helps limit weeds

How to Plant
When planting, we dig holes about as deep as the container and roughly twice as wide. Plants are placed carefully, soil is gently firmed around the roots, and everything is watered thoroughly right away. Two inches of mulch is applied between plants — but never against stems or plant crowns — o protect soil and retain moisture.

Watering During Establishment
During the first growing season, we water newly planted perennials every other day for the first week, once a week for the first month, and monthly for the first year (rain counts). Give each plant at least 1 inch of water per watering session. After the first year, established plants should only need watering during extended droughts.

Caring for the Garden

Patience
At Brightside, we take a long-term view. Native plant gardens don’t look complete right away — and that’s part of the process. Early on, plants focus their energy below ground, building strong root systems before showing much growth above. With time, those roots pay off as plantings fill in and become more resilient.

Observation
Patience goes hand in hand with observation. We watch how plants respond to weather, soil, and each other, and use those cues to guide our decisions. Instead of working on a fixed schedule, we let the garden tell us when and how to respond.

Weeding
Most of our weeding happens in the first one to two years after planting, while plants are still getting established and there are gaps between them. During this stage, we rely on hoes and sickle weeders to skim weeds from the soil surface while disturbing as little soil as possible.

As plantings mature and grow together, they begin to function as a living mulch—shading the soil and greatly reducing weeds. Over time, weeding becomes more occasional and targeted rather than constant.

Ongoing Watering
We focus on matching plants to the conditions where they naturally grow best. During establishment, we water regularly to help roots grow deep and strong. Once established, most plantings require little supplemental water except during extended droughts.

Mulching
We use mulch early on to protect soil, retain moisture, and suppress weeds while plants establish. But we see mulch as a temporary tool. As plants grow together and cover the ground, they replace mulch with a natural, living layer of leaves and stems that renews itself each year.

Leaving Leaves & Providing Winter Habitat
In planting beds, we generally leave fallen leaves and other organic matter in place. They protect the soil, return nutrients, and provide important habitat for overwintering insects and ground-nesting bees. We also leave plant stems standing through winter, where they offer shelter for beneficial insects, food for birds, and structure in the winter garden. Cleanup happens in early spring, just before new growth begins.

Editing
As the garden matures, some plants spread while others decline—this is a natural part of the process. At Brightside, we regularly “edit” the garden by thinning overly aggressive plants and adding more of those that perform well or increase interest and biodiversity. Rather than trying to keep the garden static, we let it show us what’s working and make adjustments over time to keep plantings diverse, balanced, and intentional.

Cues to Care
While we allow the garden to behave naturally, we also use visual cues to signal care and intention. Edges are maintained, paths are kept clear, and plants that spill too far are gently trimmed back. These small actions help the garden feel cared for and welcoming to our neighbors, while still supporting ecological function.

Seasonal Maintenance Calendar

Late March to Early April: Big Spring Cutback
At Brightside, we do our main spring cutback once temperatures are consistently in the 50s or when the serviceberrie are in bloom. At that point, we cut back remaining perennial stems and grasses to about 8–10 inches using hedge trimmers or a string trimmer. The cut material is chopped and left in place to create a natural mulch — though we do remove any thick, matted leaves that could smother emerging plants.

April to June: Planting and Weeding
Spring is when we keep a close eye on weeds, especially perennial species and remove them early. This is also our primary window for planting new perennials and moving or dividing plants as needed.

Late May to Early June: Optional “Haircut”
In some areas, we give late-blooming perennials and tall grasses a light haircut, cutting them back by about one-third to one-half. We use this selectively to manage height and reduce flopping, particularly in tighter spaces. It’s a useful tool, but not something we apply everywhere.

Summer: Light Management
During summer, our approach is minimal. We watch for aggressive weeds, trim plants that encroach on paths, and water new plantings during extended dry periods. Once established, most plantings require very little intervention during this time.

Fall: Planting and Light Cleanup
Fall is another important planting season at Brightside. We use this time to fill gaps and increase biodiversity by adding new plants. Leaves are cleared from paths but left in planting beds, where they protect the soil and support ecological processes. Stems that lean or fall into paths are trimmed as needed, but most plants are left standing to provide winter habitat, protect the soil, and add structure and visual interest to the garden through the colder months.

Working with Nature

Caring for a garden is as much about relationship as it is about maintenance. By working with natural systems — planting the right plants in the right place at the right time, observing rather than controlling, and allowing plants to grow in communities — the garden becomes more resilient and easier to care for over time. In return, it offers far more than a landscape: a steady presence of birds and pollinators, healthier soil, seasonal beauty, and a deeper sense of place for us and our community.

See how we Maintain the Demo Garden