Good things come to those who wait. Although it took some time, this Redditor's garden is truly coming to life.
A Redditor shared beautiful before-and-after photos of their Tennessee backyard garden to r/NativePlantGardening.
"The difference two years makes," the user wrote. "The pictures are roughly the same 2 angles of our yard taken about a year apart. From 2022, 2023, and 2024."
The photos show the growth of the user's garden, from its newly planted beginning to lush and large in just two years. Their garden is filled with plants native to their area, zone 7b, such as narrowleaf mountain mint, beautyberry, little bluestem, and indiangrass. This impressive transformation is a benefit of gardening with native plants.
Native plants are easy additions to your garden. Since they're adapted to thrive in your area's conditions, native plants are typically low-maintenance.
To discover which plants are native to your gardening zone, check out the National Wildlife Federation's native plant finder. Whether you're ready to get planting or don't quite know where to start, explore our guide to rewilding your yard for tips and tricks that help your garden thrive.
If you want to take the benefits beyond the garden, consider incorporating native plants into your lawn. Native lawns are also low-maintenance and can save you money on watering and other upkeep costs. Ditch the monoculture lawn — start with our guide to switching to a natural lawn.
Many users were inspired by the progress and held out hope for their own newly-native gardens.
One Redditor commented: "This is absolutely amazing!! You give me great inspiration!"
Another person said: "Looks fabulous and balanced."
"This is my first full year and seeing this gives me a lot of hope," a third commenter said.
Another user shared some wise words about the process: "Gardening is a journey of exploration and change as you learn. It will keep you sane, and wildlife will benefit from your efforts, as will the ecosystem. Win win!"
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