Homeowner shares before-and-after photos after gutting yard to remove dangerous growth: 'Very satisfying'

Clearing out invasive plants isn't just yard work. Sometimes, it's a full-body workout.

One Reddit user shared side-by-side photos of their latest garden project, and they've got a lot of people cheering them on. The post shows a major removal effort that replaced a thick patch of orange daylilies with open soil, ready for native plants.

"We moved here last year," they wrote. "I've been slowly removing all the invasives and flipping our gardens to native garden beds."

The user said they had been eyeing the lily patch "with hatred." After a few heavy rains softened the soil, they grabbed a root slayer — a red-handled, curved, saw-toothed shovel made for digging through tough roots — and got to work.

And they're not done yet. The plan now is to sift through the soil for leftover bulbs, wait a bit to see if anything grows back, and winter sow native seeds in late fall.

Invasive plants can spread aggressively, crowding out native ones and choking the local ecosystem. They're also notoriously difficult to remove. Daylilies grow from bulbs that multiply and dig deep, so one patch can turn into dozens over a few seasons.

"Very satisfying," said one commenter, "I had to remove a whole bed's worth of ditch lilies, which had spread like wildfire. I'm sure I missed some, but as soon as they bloom and I can identify them, out they come. Good job."

Switching to a natural lawn full of native plants can make your life easier. They don't need as much mowing, watering, or upkeep. Native plants, in addition to clover, buffalo grass, and xeriscaping, mean lower bills and fewer hours spent on yard work. Even replacing a portion of your lawn can make a difference.

Native lawns also create healthier spaces for bees, butterflies, and other pollinators that keep our food system running. If you're thinking about your own swap, check out this guide to upgrading your lawn.

Or, if you're more about letting nature take over, here's how to rewild your yard.

Should we be actively working to kill invasive species? Absolutely 💯 It depends on the species 🤔 I don't know 🤷 No — leave nature alone 🙅 Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.

The denizens of Reddit were happy to give helpful advice.

One user shared: "You might try using a heat gun on them. I did that with celandine that was growing in a gravel area and it worked pretty well. You heat it enough to wilt and damage the plant, but you don't dry it or burn it."

Another added, "You're also saving that tree! Keep clearing soil all the way to the tree on the right. They were planted way too close and have caused soil build up."

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