One Instagrammer was proud to show off the incredible transformation taking place at her family member's home.
"Dad's place is coming along just fine," said Hannah Moloney (@goodlife_permaculture) in the description of her recent video.
The video shows "before and after" shots panning across her father's backyard. In the "before" shot, which is labeled "My dad's place 2022," most of the yard is taken up by grass, with just a few raised beds and tiny saplings at the back of the lot.
In the "after" shot from 2023, the yard is overflowing with lush, blooming plants, separated by earthworks and charming brick borders. Several large boulders act as accents for the design, while a row of similar stones forms a retaining wall.
"I helped him get the bones set up with earthworks and retaining walls with @loci_landscapes. The rest is all him," Moloney said in the description. "Around 1.5 years of work, love, and care."
As Moloney's Instagram profile proclaims, she's into permaculture — the practice of cultivating self-sufficient plant systems by imitating nature. Gardeners can do that by pairing small plants with larger plants and trees, mingling them together so they can support one another.
Moloney's dad's place seems to be following that principle, with a highly diverse collection of plants growing all together in one place. And according to her, it's working just fine for the people in the home and the wildlife around it.
"Small native birds are returning, bees are buzzing, and humans are being nourished," she said in the video description.
It's important that they're attracting bees, which are key pollinators. Pollinators help fruit and veggies ripen and allow plants to produce seeds. Without them, a vegetable garden wouldn't produce much. They also provide the same services to the wild plants in the area, protecting the natural ecosystem.
"Wow! Imagine if more backyards were transformed like this. We'd have some very happy pollinators everywhere!" said one commenter.
"So beautiful and heart opening!" said another user.
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