A gardener in rural upstate New York switched out their traditional lawn for a yard full of blooms, and the transformation is dazzling.
The homeowner shared before-and-after photos in the r/NoLawns subreddit and captioned them, "Third year of killing my front lawn."
The initial photo from May 2022 shows the front yard with some unkempt grass and a few plants in the background. The next two photos are from May 2024 and show a yard full of gorgeous, colorful flowers and thriving plants. The final photo, from June, shows even more growth with the plants beautifully filling out the space.
One commenter asked, "What is that plant with the red blooms?" The original poster replied, "Eastern Red Columbine! The native one here in the Catskills/Hudson Valley."
In addition to the aesthetic value, switching to a native-plant lawn (also known as rewilding) offers homeowners the benefits of saving time and money. Native plants are adapted to the regions in which they're native, so they're able to flourish with less water than traditional grass lawns. They also require fewer chemical treatments and weed killers, allowing homeowners to save on both water bills and service fees.
Because they grow easily on their own, native plants also require much less maintenance and labor, saving gardeners a lot of time.
If flowers and plants aren't your thing, another option to explore is switching to a natural lawn. Options like clover or buffalo grass have a manicured look while still providing homeowners with the perks of saving time and money. Even a partial lawn replacement offers homeowners these benefits.
Native plants and natural lawns are also wonderful for the environment. They add critical biodiversity, cut down on water consumption, and create healthy ecosystems for our trusty food supply protectors, the pollinators.
Commenters on the Reddit post were loving the yard transformation.
One user referenced the flag in the photos and said: "The bee flag is appropriate as it is likely their turf now."
Another user wrote: "Love what you've done."
One Redditor said: "Looks amazing."
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