When one Redditor was tired of their "struggling lawn," they traded it out for a low-maintenance flower garden designed to feed local pollinators.
The Redditor shared progress photos on r/NoLawns. "Lawn to bee buffet," they said in the post.
Their "before" photo shows a lawn with more yellow patches than green despite the lush growth of surrounding plants and bushes. That wasn't good enough for the Redditor, who replaced the lawn with a mulch bed and dozens of new plants.
"I hired a friend of a friend who is a very experienced gardener to help pick out the plants, the goal being drought tolerant and deer resistant. … I was glad to have her experience with spacing, because I would definitely have over planted," they explained in a comment. "... I didn't really remove the lawn or kill it. Did a bark drop on top and really haven't had issues with the lawn coming through."
The result after two years of growth is a gorgeous multi-layered garden bed with bright pink, purple, and yellow blossoms. Species in the photo include coneflower, allium, catmint, Russian sage, and European buttercup.
The original poster did struggle to plant over past attempts. "I was shocked at how much plastic netting from old sod was in the ground," they said. "Definitely spent a lot of time ripping it out."
In the end, though, the effort saved them money. "While my goal was drought tolerant, she did put in a sprayer system," said the original poster. "Just a little water goes a very long way; I really don't even see a difference in my water bill for the three months I water."
If you'd like the same benefits in your yard, you can start by rewilding the space using local native plants. Transforming even a small part of your yard can lead to savings — not to mention how much the wildlife loves it and how great it looks afterward.
"Looks amazing," said one commenter, while another user added, "What a transformation!"
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