One homeowner on Reddit just showed off the stunning results they got in their very first year with a low-effort wildflower garden.
The post appeared in r/NativePlantGardening and came with video of the sunny Maryland garden.
"Didn't expect much this year, but we're pleasantly surprised," the original poster said. "We ordered a native northeastern meadow seed mix that we sowed in early May."
Their video shows mulch beds and a thick growth of yellow and red flowers in between young trees and established flowering bushes.
"Lots of coneflowers, blanket flowers, coreopsis, black-eyed Susans, along with previously planted blue lobelia, Joe Pye weed, milkweed, heliopsis, and more," they wrote. "There's also a redbud tree and flowering dogwood tree."
Flowers such as these that are native to the areas where they're grown have several advantages over other species. They're easy to grow and need little care or water since they're used to the local conditions. That means they save homeowners money and time.
Plus, native plants are often beautiful, with much more character than a grass lawn, and they support local pollinators. Since many of America's food crops depend on pollinators such as bees and butterflies, providing food for them is good for the environment and for people.
While the yard already looked beautiful, the original poster didn't intend to stop there. "We'll keep filling it in with other natives and hopefully add color for each season," they said.
Commenters loved the nearly instant garden.
"Looking good," one user said.
"This is super promising for me," a second commenter wrote. "I am planning a similar garden from seed along my fence line next year and didn't think it would look anywhere near this good in the first year!"
If you want to rewild your yard, you can get started by using a native plant finder to choose plants that are local to your area. Even if you only transform part of your yard, you'll bank savings and give local wildlife a boost.
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