Homeowner shares breathtaking before-and-after photos of their garden transformation: 'The layers and levels are fabulous'

What do you get when you swap an overgrown, outdated hedge for a lush, layered native flower bed? Answer: An internet-worthy garden glow-up.

A Minnesota-based homeowner recently shared incredible transformation photos of a flower bed in front of their house on Reddit. The home gardener said the flower bed housed an "old overgrown hedge of smooth hydrangea" when they first purchased the home. Now, it's filled with beautiful native plants, supporting local pollinators and wildlife.

To make the flower bed more ecologically diverse, the homeowner removed the overgrown hydrangea, laying compost and mulch to nourish native plant life. The gardener then planted flowers and greenery native to their local areas like prairie dropseed, butterfly weed, Liatris, wild quinine, prairie onion, New England aster, and more. 

The homeowner shared that they also carefully selected a few non-native or cultivated plants for added structure, additional color, and longer bloom periods. And the intentionally designed flower bed seems to be worth the hard work.

"The layers and levels and textures here are fabulous," one commenter wrote. "Great work."

"Look at all that variety! And it's so lush," another commenter added. "You should be so proud of yourself!"

"This is the kind of stuff that will warm people up to the idea of native gardening," a third commenter posted.

With natural meadows disappearing due to agricultural growth, urban development, human intervention, and the changing climate, planting native flowers and greenery is a key way home gardeners can support their local ecosystem. 

Native plants play a crucial role in supporting pollinators and maintaining biodiversity, making rewilded yards and gardens especially valuable to the planet. Invasive plants, however, often devastate gardens, overtaking pollinator-friendly plants, disrupting ecosystems, and harming local biodiversity.

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.

But the perks of planting native flowers and greenery don't stop there. Planting native can help you save money and time on yard maintenance since native plant life thrives in local weather conditions. The U.S. Forest Service also states that native gardening helps reduce air pollution. 

Though some native gardeners are hesitant to use nonnative plants in any form, commenters on the homeowner's post largely supported their intentional use of non-native — but not invasive — plants.

"Smart use of non-natives is good to see," one commenter wrote. "Non-natives are not a big deal in this sort of small scale, living space context."

If you want to become the envy of strangers on the internet — or maybe just your friends — consider rewilding your yard with native plants. For a list of flowers and greenery native to your area, browse the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation's detailed directory.

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