Hot take: My neighbor's overgrown yard in Phoenix taught me more than any book

I used to think gardening was just about planting things and keeping them alive. Then I saw how my neighbor's messy patch of native wildflowers, especially a big clump of desert marigold, brought in way more bees and butterflies than my tidy rows. It clicked that sometimes a bit of chaos is better for the local bugs. Anyone else find their neat garden plans get turned around by watching what actually works?

4 comments

4 Comments

quinn_reed172mo ago

@gavin365's bug hotel review is brutal.

wyatt1351mo ago

Bet the neighbor doesn't water that patch either.

gavin3652mo ago

Watched my perfect little herb spiral for a year and got maybe two sad butterflies. Got fed up, let some dill and parsley go to seed in a corner, and now it's a total caterpillar party. My garden plan was basically a fancy bug hotel with no guests, and the "weeds" ended up being the real VIP lounge.

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alicecraig2mo ago

Read something about how "messy" gardens are way better for bugs. Quinn_reed17 is right, that review is spot on. I mean my neat flower beds never get as much life as the overgrown bit by the fence.