Homeowner shares frustration after dealing with previous owner's gardening mistake: 'I'm convinced I'll never get rid of it all'

Dealing with the decisions of previous homeowners can be a real hassle. While some issues only require a simple fix, others can wreak havoc on your life for years.

One homeowner went to r/gardening to vent about the prior owner's costly mistake in the yard, which caused quite the entanglement.

The photo showed a man holding a handful of mint ripped from the ground with a manic face, comically displaying their frustration with the invasive plant.

One Redditor empathized, having been in an identical situation.

"We've been in our house for almost 3.5 years now. I'm still pulling up mint that the former homeowner planted directly in the ground. That stuff will pop up absolutely everywhere. I'm convinced I'll never get rid of it all, but I am starting to get it under control. I put an ad on Facebook Marketplace for free mint, just bring a shovel," they wrote.

Turns out, people love free mint and helped take care of quite a bit of the mess. But mint is relentless.

This just goes to show why it's so important to keep invasive species out of our ecosystems. They spread aggressively and displace native plants by outcompeting them for water, sunlight, and other nutrients.

Native plants help cool the planet and are also cost-effective since they require less maintenance, water, fertilizers, and zero pesticides to flourish. 

Rewilding your yard doesn't mean you can't curate the landscape like you would with a traditional lawn. Options such as clover, native plants, buffalo grass, wildflowers, tapestry lawns, and xeriscaping provide an array of textures, colors, and looks to choose from.

Going natural also creates a friendlier environment for pollinators, who help make our produce bigger and tastier. According to Pollinator.org, pollinators are responsible for one out of every three bites of food. 

Switching even a tiny part of your yard to a natural lawn is beneficial for all these reasons. It's also a great way to test the waters; you can expand if it's something that speaks to you.

The comment section of the post came with an abundance of similar tales, remedy ideas, and sympathy. 

"When life gives you a mint garden, make mojitos!" one Redditor exclaimed.

"Look, I love mint … But it does. Not. Stop," another wrote.

"My back hurts looking at this," a third cringed.

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