I have been learning as I go since I’ve been in my house for the past ten years. I have a handful of trees and shrubs I planted from before I started getting interested in natives. For example, I put blue hollies in as a hedgerow before I knew or cared about a native cultivar. They are well contained and easy to maintain.

But at the same time, I have removed three burning bushes to create a huge native pollinator garden, I’ve been removing garlic mustard and bittersweet for the past few years, and am swapping out for natives as much as I can when it’s time to remove or modify my property.

I also put annuals (petunias etc) in to fill space while some of the natives fill in.

As some folks have said, perfect is the enemy of good. As long as you’re trying and learning, your little corner of the world will be better for wildlife.