A lot can happen in a year — for both people and plants.
One gardener transformed an overgrown, vacant space into an impressive garden filled with plants and beautiful blooms. "Abandoned garden plot to native garden…one year difference," they shared in the Reddit post caption.
The post's photos show the unbelievable before-and-after scenes of the garden plot, which is now adorned with a Monarch Waystation sign. This sign indicates that the land is designated as a place where monarch butterflies have the necessary resources to live, feed, and reproduce.
In the comment section, the original poster explained how the plot of land started as an old herb garden abandoned by a school earth club. Existing dogbane and Eupatorium serotinum were a welcome surprise; however, it also had a lot of non-native grass, mugwort, and Canada thistle.
The gardener got everything under control by adding native plants.
This Reddit post is an excellent example of how beautiful natural lawns are and how quickly and easily they can grow. Rewilding your yard doesn't have to be time- or labor-intensive, and you'll likely save money by reducing your water usage and not having to buy chemical fertilizers and pest control products.
Meanwhile, monarch butterflies may discover a new home on your property and pollinate the nearby flowers and food growing. For example, growing milkweed in your garden helps monarch butterflies complete their natural migration patterns and pollinate many of the foods we eat.
"That's insane growth for one year," commented one Redditor. "I have 100% native for my area, down to the genotypes, and it still took a good three years to have fill in like yours."
The original poster wrote, "It's all about growing what is native to your area!"
"You've done a wonderful job!" admired another Redditor. "Looks great!"
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