Native plant lawns are the friends of local wildlife and the enemies of various homeowners associations. And now they have a new enemy, as well: one Redditor's in-law, who mowed their patch of native wildflowers.
According to the Redditor, who shared this sad story with the other members of the r/NativePlantGardening subreddit with the headline "Destroyed native patch." The unnamed "in-law" apparently took out the native wildflowers intentionally, because they were "ugly" and "weeds." As shown in the accompanying pictures, they left behind a large square of dead, brown grass that is definitely not anybody's idea of beautiful.
And the war is only just beginning, as the Redditor announced their intentions to seek revenge by cutting the in-law's flowers, in a Montague vs. Capulet-esque cycle of flower destruction that may continue indefinitely.
"I am so mad, I can't sleep," they wrote.
Native plant gardening is gaining popularity, as people begin to catch on to the benefits over those offered by traditional grass lawns. While grass lawns discourage ecological diversity, require massive amounts of water and constant maintenance, and often involve the use of toxic chemicals and pesticides as well as polluting gas-powered yard equipment, native lawns are much more visually interesting and encourage the local ecology that already exists in your area, all with minimal upkeep required.
Apparently, the native-plant-hating in-law hasn't gotten that message yet, though.
The other members of the r/NativePlantGardening subreddit were similarly outraged on behalf of the original poster, but they also came with advice and encouragement that the situation might not be as dire as it seemed.
"You can add some medium sized rocks for habitat and defense. It's how i protect our little meadow. I'm so sorry this happened," wrote one commenter.
"Did they spray it along with mow it, because everything in the picture should come back. My tenant weed wacked my Columbine patch by accident two weeks ago, it already has new growth," wrote another.
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