In just one year, this homeowner said they went from bare earth to a thriving flower patch along the curb of their corner lot.
This user is one of many who have posted in r/NativePlantGardening, a community dedicated to growing plants from the local area that have adapted well to the natural temperature and rainfall there.
"I started a garden from scratch last spring and winter-sowed most of the plants," said the original poster in a comment.
Their post showed several photos of the garden: one from when it was first planted, with its stone border just starting to take shape, and three showing various angles of the garden as it looked in early July.
The progress was astounding, with plants several feet tall and gorgeous orange blossoms.
"I'm thrilled at how it turned out," said the user.
The Redditor also shared a list of plants in their garden: butterfly weed, purple lovegrass, wild lupine, foxglove beardtongue, switchgrass, hairy mountain mint, little bluestem, and seaside goldenrod.
"Oh yeah, the rabbits ate all of my [pale purple coneflower]," they added. "This week I put in [golden Alexander] and [spotted beebalm] seedlings to fill in the gaps."
Growing native plants like these has multiple benefits. Since they've evolved to grow in the local conditions, they don't need much care or water, cutting down on both the cost of the garden and the time needed to maintain it.
"It was mad cheap … Native plants are easy to grow and beautiful," said the original poster.
Native flowers are also great for wildlife, especially pollinators. "The garden is always buzzing with insects," the Redditor said.
Commenters congratulated the original poster on their gorgeous results.
"I love this! Beautiful," said one user. "I love the rocks as a border!"
"Looks great!" said another commenter. "I can't wait for my butterfly weed to bloom next year like yours."
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