Homeowner shares stunning photos after transforming garden along city road: 'This is gorgeous and magic'

When it comes to native plant gardens, a little space can go a very long way.

A gardener in Manitoba, Canada, is proving that on Reddit with their urban prairie boulevard garden, a narrow yard between their former house and a city road beautifully cultivated with native, pollinator-friendly foliage over just four growing seasons. 

"I'm all about inspiring others to naturalize their environments to create beautiful habitat," the original poster wrote, listing 22 different native grasses and flowers they reintroduced to the strip. "We had so many bees and butterflies including monarch caterpillars," they added in their main post. 

Adapted to the local environment, native plants are typically hardier than the imported grasses often used for lawns. That means they don't need as much upkeep with watering, fertilizers, or pesticides and tend to do best when left unmown.

Native gardens and rewilded yards also provide a vital niche for pollinators such as the monarch butterfly, whose caterpillars feed exclusively on milkweed.

Pollinators such as bees, butterflies, and birds are key ecological players thanks to their essential role in plant reproduction, and their population health has a direct impact on the food supply for humanity. The U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates that each year, pollinators add more than $18 billion in revenue to crop production, with crops such as almonds depending entirely on honeybee pollination.

Pollinator gardens and other eco-friendly outdoor spaces can be a simple and beautiful way to help protect these species. Rewilding doesn't need to be a complicated process, and even a partial lawn replacement can provide an environmental boost while saving time and money. 

Those looking to keep the feel of a traditional lawn can replant with buffalo grass, which is native to North America and holds up well even in drought conditions, or switch to a different groundcover like clover. In drier climate regions and beyond, homeowners are embracing xeriscaping, a landscaping technique that uses native plants to eliminate irrigation altogether.

In Manitoba, the curbside gardener shared their own cultivation method in the post, saying the garden had developed "very quick" to get from the first seedlings in 4.5-inch pots or small planting plugs to the lush state captured in their photos. 

If you were to switch from a grass lawn to a more natural option, which of these factors would be your primary motivation? Making it look better 🌱 Saving money on water and maintenance 💰 Helping pollinators 🐝 No way I ever get rid of my lawn 🚫 Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.

Commenters on Reddit praised the work, with one noting, "Thats really awesome! Every little bit helps."

Another put it simply: "Oh this is gorgeous and magic."

Whether a labor of love or a budget-friendly landscaping option, a touch of rewilding can produce seriously beautiful results.

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