One person on Reddit shocked users after revealing their "absolute favorite" part of an excursion to the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens.
In a post to Reddit's r/NativePlantGardening, the user revealed that the best part of their visit to the botanical gardens was surprisingly not the gardens themselves but the parking lot.
"[I'm] only kind of joking," wrote OP in the post's caption. "The native parking lot plantings were my absolute favorite. My husband joked that we should have saved money and stayed in the parking lot."
Images of the lush native plantings lining roads and sidewalks, encircling lots, and shading the visitors' vehicles make it easier to understand how the parking lot could've been anyone's favorite part.
But the beauty of the parking lot is hardly the best part. Designing parking lots with plants, especially native plants, has numerous benefits for the area's infrastructure, people who use it, native pollinators, and other local fauna.
Adding plants and trees to parking lots and other roadways, especially native ones, offers a natural solution to erosion and dealing with excess rainwater. The roots of plants help to hold soil in place and absorb rainwater into the soil like a sponge, mitigating risks of soil washing away or stormwater drainage problems.
People who use areas with native plants, such as the botanical garden parking lot, will notice a more aesthetically pleasing space and enjoy being more sheltered from the elements, like cover from rain or shade from the sun. Plus, more plants means more oxygen is added to the air, so people will breathe easier and cleaner.
Pollinators and local fauna who depend on native plants will appreciate protection from the elements as well. Plus, native plants and flowers are a main source of food for pollinators and other animals, who in turn pollinate the plants or spread their seeds, creating a healthy, perpetual cycle within the ecosystem.
These benefits can be replicated and supplemented in any yard. Whether in just a few pots on one's apartment balcony or a small bed in your front yard, even small or partial native plant installations can reap some benefits. Plus, native plants are low-effort and low-cost, requiring minimal weeding and maintenance, and less water.
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Back in the comment section of OP's Reddit post, area locals and previous visitors to the garden praised its beautiful vegetation and design, as well as the gardeners who maintain it for all to enjoy.
"We visited there a couple years ago. So much to see! So many plants beautifully grown, imaginatively arranged, and well [labeled] too!" wrote one person.
"Omg that's amazing??? Saving it for inspo," commented another user.
"It was so inspiring to see how beautifully these were planted!" echoed the post's author in their caption.
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