New homeowner shares spectacular before-and-after photos after transforming property: 'Wow'

When giving their new garden a facelift after buying a home, one savvy gardener pulled out all the stops to cater to the local pollinator population.

"I'm slowly, but surely, transforming my little suburban square into something that I (and the bees) love," they said on a recent post to the subreddit r/gardening, outlining before-and-after photos that they had of various parts of the yard. 

Highlights of the homeowner's swaps included trading "invasive creeping ground cover and hostas" for drought-tolerant and pollinator-friendly alternatives, like stonecrop, meadow sage, columbines, bee balm, and more. They also replaced areas occupied by grass and river rock with raised garden beds that are home to a variety of planted berries. 

"It's been quite a journey, and I'm not done yet," they noted, promising more upgrades to come in their garden transformation. 

While aesthetics were clearly on the homeowner's mind when planning out their garden, it's clear their choices were also rooted in easy maintenance and supporting the local ecosystem. Native plants, like many they chose, are generally low-maintenance, since they were meant to thrive in the local environment. Making this switch can save gardeners time and money, as they spend less time tending and watering their plants. 

Many of the options they chose prioritized attracting pollinators like bees, showing a clear understanding of protecting this critical species. As the rapid overheating of the planet progresses, beehives are at critical risk of population loss, which has a rampant impact on entire food supply systems. 

Even a swap on a small scale, like in this Redditor's garden, not only supports this vital creature in the local habitat, but it also helps other nearby plants thrive as well. 

Commenters were quick to applaud the original poster's use of a variety of eco-friendly landscaping options.

"Wow!!!! Come do my landscaping," one commenter said.

"It's an awesome upgrade, what you've done," another agreed.

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