The big picture: "Native plants offer this easy solution to make positive change," Sara Ressing, an education and program coordinator with nonprofit Wild Ones, tells Axios.

• Native species support wildlife, improve ecosystems and help address climate pressures — while also "connecting us to a sense of place," Ressing says.
• Chaos gardening complements that philosophy. "What better plants to grow in cracks than a plant that really, truly belongs?"

Catch up quick: Chaos gardening embraces a less structured approach: Scatter seeds, observe what survives and let soil, sunlight and water determine the outcome.

• Ressing says the trend overlaps naturally with native gardening because both prioritize welcoming nature back into yards — even if the results look a little "chaotic."

Yes, but: Garden experts warn that tossing random seed packets into the yard doesn't always work as advertised — especially in the Mid-Atlantic's fickle climate.

Zoom in: Bridget Murphy, store manager at Ginkgo Gardens on Capitol Hill, says the shop frequently sells out of native flower seeds. But many plants are slower-growing and more delicate than social media videos suggest.

• Some native seeds won't bloom until their second or third season.

• Others, like Liatris (blazing star), are often easier to grow from bulbs than seed.

What they're saying: You may need to organize your chaos for success — mixing bulbs and starter plants into a less structured garden.

• "There's an alternative way that's still affordable and can add to the chaos, but with a higher success rate," Murphy says.

What to plant: Local garden centers say milkweed, echinacea, black-eyed Susans, blanket flowers and coreopsis remain among the most sought-after native species in the D.C. area.

The bottom line: Chaos gardening may look carefree online, but experts say the best results come from pairing experimentation with intention.