One homeowner showed Reddit that gorgeous landscaping is possible with zero grass included.
The r/NoLawns subreddit is "A community devoted to alternatives to monoculture lawns, with an emphasis on native plants and conservation. Rain gardens, xeriscaping, strolling gardens, native plants, and much more!"
It's part of the anti-lawn movement, which encourages participants to save money, water, time, and even save the environment by removing high-maintenance grass lawns.
"Located in Oregon," the original poster explained. They shared a few photos of their old lawn — boring, ordinary grass — and six images of the replacement.
In the new yard, dark mulch provided a backdrop that made a few well-chosen plants pop. Gravel, flagstones, pavers, and a few scattered rocks provided decoration and functional paths. The yard also contained a charming trellis behind a comfortable seating area decorated with several tall planters.
"All the plants added are either native pollinators or Mediterranean/low water plants that will reduce my overall water usage while keeping the bees and hummingbirds happy!" said the homeowner in a comment.
Pollinators are a vital part of the natural world and carry pollen not only between wild plants, but also between garden plants and crops that humanity relies on for survival. Planting native plants that attract and feed them helps support nature and the community — plus, pollinators are fun to watch in the garden!
Meanwhile, because native plants are adapted to the local climate, they don't need to be watered nearly as much as grass, making them cheap and easy to maintain.
"Great work!" said one commenter. "I am working on something similar. My big hesitation in doing a big conversion at once though is the weeds! Do you have a plan for managing weeds in the mulch? Just a lot of hand-pulling?"
"Yeah, hand pulling for now," said the original poster. "I'm embracing it as a catharsis and remembering that I don't have to mow it any longer. Most of my irrigation is drip lines, which at least seem to consolidate the weeds versus them being everywhere."
Another Redditor was blown away by the changes, saying, "Wow that's an impressive transformation!"
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