One homeowner with a narrow strip of land to landscape achieved an incredible transformation with only native plants.
They posted progress photos and a three-year update on r/NativePlantGardening.
"Wild life gardening with native plants has been my obsession for three years!" said the original poster. "Here's a 250' x 15' wildlife corridor! All with native plants."
Their series of photos starts with an aerial view of the neighborhood, with the strip to be replanted circled in black. In the beginning, it contained grass and a few trees.
Next, the original poster started smothering the grass with cardboard and mulch, addressing one section at a time. Each time, they added trees and young plants to the newly prepared section. Some of their additions include flowering dogwood, hardhack, blueberry, sweetfern, American cranberrybush viburnum, and an assortment of flowers that are great for attracting pollinators. They surrounded the long, thin mulch bed with logs as they went and placed stepping stone paths across it.
Finally, the original poster has a thriving corridor of native plants along the edge of their property, with bright colors appearing from spring to fall.
In a comment, the original poster explained what they love about rewilding their yard.
"I give seedlings and plants away all summer long; I like to share the bounty of native plants!" they said. "They bless you with so many seedlings and seeds. You can help out by giving those away so people don't break the bank.
"It's so much fun, it's my full-time hobby," they added. "The fulfillment I get from taking care of my 7,000 square feet of beds is indescribable. I have nature right outside my door, no need to go anywhere. I love it. I met so many wonderful, caring, down-to-earth gardeners that share the same passion. Life doesn't get any better than this."
🗣️ If you were to switch from a grass lawn to a more natural option, which of these factors would be your primary motivation?
🔘 Making it look better 🌱
🔘 Saving money on water and maintenance 💰
🔘 Helping pollinators 🐝
🔘 No way I ever get rid of my lawn 🚫
🗳️ Click your choice to see results and speak your mind
One other benefit they forgot to mention is that native plants need less water and care than a lawn — especially on uneven ground like this garden, where grass would be hard to mow. Plus, their plants attract butterflies and birds to watch.
Commenters were enthusiastic about the new design.
"That's really impressive and looks fantastic!" said one user. "I like the log garden edge; beneficial, rustic, and tidy."
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