One homeowner transformed their neglected yard into a lush hideaway in just 1 1/2 years — and shared their stunning pictures on Reddit this July.
Lawns are falling out of style as more homeowners are turning toward alternatives. These landscaping options are often cheap and low-maintenance, benefit the environment because they use less water and provide food for pollinators, and can display an incredible amount of beauty and character.
The user posted four pictures of "night and day in our lawn-free garden" in a recent Reddit thread. "A year and a half after we first started sheet mulching our lawn, we're finally at the 'accessorizing' stage and are adding solar lights throughout," they said.
The images show a welcoming, shady yard with flowers and ferns dotted across mulch beds. Branching flagstone paths are situated between seating areas and a charming treehouse with an artistically peaked roof. The entire yard looked like a fairytale — especially at night, with garden lights illuminating the paths and sparkling between the plants.
The user also included two "before" photos that they said were from "when [they] first bought the house." The front yard was filled with a dead, yellow lawn, and according to the Redditor, the back was "a mud pit full of blackberries, ivy, and patchy grass."
So how did they get from there to the magical landscape in the "after" photos?
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First, the user said that they laid cardboard and mulch over the whole yard. They also had to remove the ivy growing over the trees. "It was an ordeal that took all of our free time for five months straight, but it was worth the effort in the end," they said in a comment. "I'd say we've successfully beaten the ivy, but the blackberries are probably going to keep popping up every summer until I'm dead."
To cut down on weeds, the Redditor also lined the paths with hazelnut shells. "Between the cardboard and the dryness of the hazelnuts, we haven't really had a weed problem on our pathways!" they said. "I weed the rest of the garden once or twice a week, but the pathways are my lowest maintenance garden feature."
Redditors loved the breathtaking design. "Oh my," said one user. "This might be one of the prettiest yards I've seen."
"Thank you!" replied the original poster. "I've been daydreaming about it for years."
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