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New homeowner shares impressive before-and-after photos of lawn transformation from dead zone: 'Amazing effort and execution'

However, their journey didn't end there.

However, their journey didn’t end there.

Photo Credit: Reddit

One Spanish homeowner turned a dead zone of a backyard into a flowering oasis — but they had concerns about keeping it that way.

The gardener shared their progress in r/NoLawns. "I bought a new house in Spain some months back in May," they explained. "Backyard soil was almost pure clay. I wanted to avoid fake plastic lawn, so many months back I discovered Lippia and I decided that I wanted to give it a try."

However, their journey didn't end there.
Photo Credit: Reddit
However, their journey didn't end there.
Photo Credit: Reddit

Lippia, also called kurapia and frogfruit, is a low-growing flower in the verbena family. The advantages of choosing it for a lawn were many. Lippia is native to Spain, where the original poster planted it, so it's adapted to the climate and will grow without much help. Also, since it's a flowering plant, it attracts pollinators.

The original poster detailed the process of planting their backyard with this beautiful and low-maintenance lawn alternative.

"The soil, as you see, was pretty bad and hard," they said. "I had to dig a little bit to make it loose, but unfortunately I didn't have the tools to really dig more than 3-4 cm. Then I mixed with organic bags of soil I bought. I ordered online Lippias and started to plant one by one."

With the help of a little rain, those isolated lippia plants grew into an unbroken, lush carpet across their whole backyard.

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"Well done on all the everything," said a commenter. "Amazing effort and execution for a beginner like you said."

However, their journey didn't end there. The original poster shared a more worrying update.

"Some Lippias of the first part of the garden started to get reddish and dying a little bit," they said. "Unfortunately this has become a trend and I don't know the reason." They worried it might be due to the Spanish winter, which is mild but still colder than the summer, or to the coming and going of their children.

🗣️ If you were to switch from a grass lawn to a more natural option, which of these factors would be your primary motivation?

🔘 Making it look better 🌱

🔘 Saving money on water and maintenance 💰

🔘 Helping pollinators 🐝

🔘 No way I ever get rid of my lawn 🚫

🗳️ Click your choice to see results and speak your mind

"Do you have any suggestion or idea why it's getting red and if I should do something different?" they asked.

Thankfully, the plant had simple needs.

"If it's not a temperature issue then you may need to provide more fertilizer," suggested one reader. "For organic options, fine compost or alfalfa meal, or any other organic granular product available in your area, could fit your needs."

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