One home gardener turned annoying utility work into a golden opportunity. The freshly tilled earth from electrical work allowed them to plant the native pollinator-friendly garden of their dreams.
Taking to the r/NativePlantGardening subreddit to show off, this homeowner shared several photos of the plants coming up in their beautiful spring garden. In the post, the photos show nicely mulched gardens in the front and side of their home with lots of green plants coming up.
The original poster shared several species they planted, including yarrow, milkweed, and phlox.
"Our first time doing something on this scale and we were nervous about how they'd do over winter but almost everything survived and spread for year two," they said. "So happy with the project and have already spotted several types of butterfly and plenty of bees bopping around."
The movement away from traditional grass lawns is both a money-saving endeavor and is great for your local ecosystem. Swapping out your lawn for a low-maintenance alternative like clover can save you money on water, fertilizer, and pesticides, and you won't have to mow very often. If you add in even a few native plants, you can amp up your savings and help local pollinators.
According to The Nature Conservancy, "One of the biggest contributors, and the one TNC is most directly addressing, is the disappearance and fragmentation of native plant habitat. Every square mile of open land turned to shopping centers or highways is the pollinator equivalent of leveling Manhattan."
Many organizations like The Nature Conservancy have been promoting planting native plants in an effort to restore these important habitats for insect breeding and migration. Homegrown National Park has been extolling planting for pollinators on social media and has a ton of resources on its website.
Commenters were very supportive of this beautiful transformation.
One person said, "Looking good! Bloom season should be exciting."
Another person shared their experience, saying, "Looks great! I'm about 1.5 hrs northeast of you and my garden looks very similar. We're on year 2 and 3 of our lawn to native garden project, it's so fun to see how it changes and develops each year and season."
Like this Reddit poster shared, it can be daunting to get started with native planting, but the rewards benefit you, your home, and your local wildlife.
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