Question about replacing my lawn with native plants in the Midwest

I tore out my front lawn in St. Louis three years ago and put in all native wildflowers and grasses, but last summer the weeds really took over and choked out most of the flowers. I spent about $400 on seed and plants the first year, so I'm wondering if anyone has tips for keeping aggressive weeds like thistle out without using harsh chemicals.

2 comments

2 Comments

kim.hannah6d ago

My neighbor tried the same thing in Kansas City and ended up just planting a ton of black-eyed Susans and butterfly weed over everything. They spread like crazy and choked out most of the thistle on their own.

gonzalez.phoenix6d ago

Man I used to hate black-eyed Susans. Thought they were too basic and weedy looking. But after my third year battling thistle with a trowel and a bad back I gave up and let them take over. They really do just smother everything out once they get established. Butterfly weed too. That stuff spreads underground like crazy and crowds out the bad stuff.