Homeowner shares beautiful before-and-after photos after transforming area next to driveway: 'What a huge difference'

Swapping a section of grass for a small patch of native plants can turn a yard into a beautiful space, and sometimes even attract unexpected visitors, as one gardener recently discovered.

Posting on the subreddit r/NativePlantGardening, the gardener demonstrated what can be achieved with a small native bed, showcasing an array of colorful flowers in the photos. 

The gardener explained that they have been inspired by other people in the Reddit community to remove a chunk of their lawn and replace it with a native bed. "I'm so pleased with how it's growing in," the gardener wrote. 

In addition to the plant, the gardener also shared images of wildlife that had visited their new native bed, including a monarch butterfly and a goldfinch.

Transforming your lawn from monoculture grass to a native plant bed or low-maintenance natural lawn using grass alternatives like clover comes with several benefits. Aside from being more aesthetically pleasing, native plants and clover are much easier to maintain than traditional grass lawns because they don't need fertilizer, require less water, and are less time-consuming to maintain. 

This means cheaper water bills and less expensive trips to the garden center to buy expensive, chemical fertilizers. This is also great news for the environment, as chemical fertilizers damage soil, pollute water, and harm wildlife.

In addition to being more cost-effective, native plants and natural lawns provide essential habitat for native wildlife. This includes a range of pollinator species, such as birds, bees, and butterflies, which are essential to our survival. Pollinators help produce many of the foods we eat, and conserving their populations is key to food security. 

The comments section was full of praise for the gardener and their beautiful native flower bed. 

"Wow, what a huge difference that makes!" one commenter wrote. 

While another added: "Nice work! Looks like you solved a big erosion problem too. Talk about multitasking!"

How did your garden turn out this year? Amazing 🤩 Could be better 🙂 Terrible 🤬 I don't have a garden 🤷 Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.

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