A Reddit user in Southern California showed beautiful before-and-after photos after rewilding her yard, going from spotty grass growth to a plethora of native plant life.
To break it down very simply, rewilding is the process of restoring native plant species to man-made areas. That's exactly what this homeowner did, and they're "very pleased" with the results.
The Reddit user said they planted artemisia, aster, two varieties of California fuchsia, three varieties of penstemon, multiple kinds of manzanita, lavender, sticky monkey flower, and a couple of different wildflowers. This variety of plants was specifically chosen to bloom at different times of the year to support pollinators.
Besides having beautiful plants to look at rather than sparse grass, the Reddit user now gets to watch wildlife enjoy the new yard. The user said a variety of birds routinely visit, as do rabbits, and the yard is constantly buzzing with bees.
On top of helping the environment by ripping up their gluttonous grass lawn and replacing it with native plants that aren't water hogs, this Reddit user also helped their wallet.
Despite an uncharacteristically wet winter, California has suffered through years of drought. Programs exist incentivizing homeowners to make water-saving changes to their homes, and this Reddit user took advantage of such a program
"We successfully got a rebate from [the] SoCal Turf Replacement Program," they added in their post.
Other Reddit users who saw the post loved the transformation.
"This is a goal front yard for me. Such a great combination," one user commented.
Another commented, "Looks great! I love how the natives thrive where grass has no business growing. I'm sure you've got a lot of birds and bees in there too. Hopefully you inspire some neighbors."
Another said, "Looks great. My favorite is watching the birds," to which the original poster replied, "Yes! We get most bird activity in the side yard where all the Cleveland Sage is … We've planted some coffee berry that we hope becomes another bird haven."
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