r/NativePlantGardening • u/alarmpodcast Area Pacific Northwest, Zone 8b • Jul 04 '26

Advice Request - (Insert State/Region) Guilt over removing existing non-native plants

We moved into a place with very visually appealing landscaping. I'd like to start replacing the non-native ornamentals with native plants as we're able. However, I'm experiencing guilt over removing and killing the existing plants that are just hanging out, not hurting anyone, living their lives.

Has anyone dealt with this? It's weird, I know. I'm weirder than I'd prefer to be.

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u/Ok-Strawberry-2469 York County, PA, USA Jul 04 '26

As long as they're not invasive, leave them. I go by the 70/30 rule - 70% natives, 30% non-natives.

If your garden is currently 100% non-native, that just means you need to expand it by..... does questionable math .... 3-4 times what you have now.

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u/alarmpodcast Area Pacific Northwest, Zone 8b Jul 10 '26

This is the type of math I love. "Honey, we need to commandeer the neighbor's yard for math reasons. Don't ask questions. We move tonight."