Few things are equally as freeing and as daunting as a blank slate, as one Texas homeowner learned when faced with a bare backyard.
The homeowner fittingly took to the r/NoLawns subreddit, writing "New Blank Slate backyard, need advice/recommendations," above several photos of a bare space ready to be transformed.
They explained that they are in Houston and bought a house with a mess of a yard, so they had it landscaped, leveled, and added a new layer of topsoil. "Now it's a blank slate ready for anything," they said. "The wife wants a native grass like frog fruit, would that do well here? And if so, do I buy like 100 starters and just plant them and water them? Any other recommendations? Should I wait till spring to start?"
The inclination toward native plants and asking which ones will do best there speak volumes of the homeowner. Monoculture grass lawns, especially in places like Texas that often see drought conditions and have to regulate water usage, are a huge suck on pocketbooks and the planet.
The Environmental Protection Agency reported in 2017 that a typical American family uses 320 gallons of water daily and that landscape irrigation accounts for nearly one-third of all residential water use nationwide, totaling almost 9 billion gallons per day.
Native plants and natural lawn alternatives, such as the frogfruit the original poster's wife wanted, buffalo grass, and clover, require little to no water as they are adapted to the local environment. They also help with erosion control, require no toxic chemicals to maintain, and provide vital habitats for pollinators, who protect the global food supply.
So, the OP's inclinations were spot on. As far as asking for advice, they went to the right place, too, as commenters had plenty of it.
One shared a document with keystone native plants in the Houston area, writing: "These support the most pollinators and are best for the environment. They should be pretty easy to grow since they're native. You'll have to look up planting instructions for the ones you decide on."
"I'd also set aside some area of your yard for a nice native pollinator garden. Since monarchs travel through Texas a native habitat for them would be cool," said another.
🗣️ What's the hardest thing about taking care of your yard?
🔘 Mowing the lawn 🏡
🔘 Controlling weeds 🌿
🔘 Keeping pests at bay 🐿️
🔘 I don't have a yard 🤷
🗳️ Click your choice to see results and speak your mind
"I'm jealous! Endless possibilities!" enthusiastically added a third.
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