Homeowner shares stunning before-and-after photos of front yard project: 'They really are thriving'

A homeowner on Reddit wowed fellow gardening enthusiasts with pictures of their yard's remarkable transformation.

A Reddit user shared photos of their beautiful xeriscaped yard, demonstrating how to create a sustainable landscape. — Photo Credit: Reddit

The photos, posted to r/succulents, perfectly demonstrate that a thriving yet sustainable yard is possible even in the driest areas. "My first barrel and rock xeriscape… 1 year 8 months," the thread's caption reads. The pictures showcase a variety of bright flora that need little to no water.

Xeriscaping is the practice of gardening with plants that require little to no irrigation. This is done with drought-resistant native plants and is becoming increasingly popular in the United States. Although in this case it was achieved with rocks and cacti, there is a broad array of colorful plants that don't need any more water than the area naturally provides. For example, in Arizona, there are options that bring color and helpful pollinators without the need for additional water, such as bluebells, chuparosa, and the Mexican bird of paradise.

It's one of the reasons that some municipalities in parched areas are offering incentives for homeowners to ditch water-guzzling grass lawns in favor of drought-resistant plants. It's certainly a better option for hot areas than laying down artificial turf, which kills the soil, gets dangerously hot, and just plain stinks.

For those who don't live in dry regions, there are still good ways to make gardening more environmentally friendly. Even if rain isn't an issue, a natural lawn is still a much better choice than a grass lawn. Similarly, rewilding a yard is an ideal way to save time and money on maintenance.

The comments were full of praise for the transformation, and a few were quite taken by the cat that showed up in the background of one of the shots.

"Beautiful! Handsome fella in the second picture too," one Reddit user said.

Another agreed: "The tabby makes it perfect!"

"Wow they really are thriving!" a third commenter added.

How would you describe your gardening skills?

I can grow anything 😎