re: honest question…why do so many of you soak your yard with chemicals?

A good thing is that the demand for native plants is really growing these days. There is probably a nursery either specializing in natives, or offering a good variety of natives within a comfortable drive of you. Search "native nurseries" in your state, take a drive, and check them out. Some have really good websites that are pretty informational and worth looking over, and some ship plants.

The good thing about many native plants is that they are heartier than more common options. They aren't as finicky because they are literally the best suited plants for your area because they evolved there over hundreds or thousands of years. If you choose correctly they usually don't require a whole lot of special care.