This Redditor's native plant lawn made stunning progress over just one year.
A Redditor on r/NoLawns shared their yard's incredible transformation, saying, "What a difference a year makes."
Their lawn is a vibrant display of wildflowers, succulents, and native plants. The Redditor provided some extra insight into their garden, commenting: "Southern California, zone 9b-10a. … Zero irrigation for established plants through last summer. Lawn removed in late 2021 and planted in 2022. … Planted with a mix of succulents I already had plus California natives."
Native plant lawns are becoming more popular, and for good reason. This Redditor was struggling to keep this strip of grass alive and watered in the California heat, so they switched to native plants. The results? Less water, less maintenance, and a beautiful front lawn.
Swapping from a monoculture lawn — just plain grass — to a native plant lawn will save you time and money. Once they're established, native plant lawns require less maintenance, so you'll spend less time watering, mowing, and fertilizing. The Redditor's garden required no manual watering after the first year — it thrived all on its own.
According to the U.S Environmental Protection Agency, "Outdoor water use accounts for more than 30% of total household water use, on average, but can be as much as 60% … in arid regions."
By switching to a native plant lawn, you can drastically reduce your outdoor water usage, helping you save big on your water bills.
It's not just good for your wallet — native plant lawns are great for the environment. Native lawns are safe havens for pollinators, like bees and butterflies, and support a variety of wildlife. Your new lawn will host plenty of beneficial bugs, which are not only good for your lawn's health, but will also feed birds and other critters.
Looking to make the switch to a native plant lawn? The Cool Down can help. Check out our guide for the how-to on rewilding your lawn.
Commenters admired the user's beautiful lawn.
"This makes me both jealous and happy," one user commented. "Lookin like a bee's paradise."
Another was inspired by the progress: "Amazing! Planting and working on something similar … right now, so thanks for the reminder that it only looks better from here!"
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