Gardener shares stunning success story that began as quarantine hobby: 'A whole new way of life'

The coronavirus pandemic inspired many of us to take up new hobbies — and for many, it was the chance to finally test out that green thumb.

One homeowner shared her gardening journey on TikTok via Homegrown National Park (@homegrownnationalpark). 

@homegrownnationalpark Native gardens can bring a whole new way of life! Follow Jen on IG: @jenuinelywild & get on the MAP! #homegrownnationalpark #garden #landscaping #plantnative ♬ original sound - Homegrown National Park

HNP is an organization founded by legendary ecologist Doug Tallamy with a simple yet powerful goal: To "urgently inspire" people to "address the biodiversity crisis by adding native plants and removing invasive ones where we live, work, learn, pray, and play."

In her video, Jennifer Watt shared her own success story. Following Tallamy's guidebook, she put her first plants in the ground at the end of May. By July, they were flourishing, and she had spotted her first monarch butterfly. 

"The amount of insects and the amount of birds I was seeing was quite remarkable," she enthused.

Jennifer also gushed about the emotional benefits of her gardening project. "In the summer every morning I make my coffee walk around and look to see if there are any new monarch eggs," she said. "You don't have to go somewhere specific to see nature, you can bring it into your backyard. I'm a big fan of National Parks but the idea of a Homegrown National Park really spoke to me."

Commenters were just as thrilled by her progress. "This is stunning! Can't wait for everyone to do this," one said.

Others had already broken ground on their own HNPs. "I just finished tearing the grass out of my front yard and replacing with native plants! I'm so excited to watch them grow!" one shared.

"Love this. I am just starting out but so in love with my progress already, your words are inspiring!" another enthused.

How often will you be gardening this summer? Every day 🥗 At least once a week 🥕 At least once a month 🌱 I don't garden 🚫 Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.

Jennifer echoed their excitement: "Native gardens can bring a whole new way of life!" she wrote.

Rewilding your yard with native plants doesn't just bring about a better morning routine. Removing invasive or monoculture species (like grass) and replacing them with native ones provides crucial habitat and food sources for pollinators. This, in turn, forms the basis of our food chain — in fact, honeybees are responsible for approximately one-third of all food that humans eat.

"I just started putting in native plants at my entrance," one commenter shared. "I didn't even have them in the ground before the bees, butterflies and hummingbirds found them!"

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