Redditors are loving a photo one user posted of their landscape in Dallas, which shows a garden they have populated entirely with native plants.
A Reddit user shared a photo of their lawn in a forum dedicated to showcasing landscapes focusing on native plants and conservation efforts. Other Reddit users who are also making the move away monoculture lawns — aka lawns where only one plant is cultivated — found the picture inspiring.
The image shows a gorgeous and colorful variety of plants, including different flower types and blooms of various heights.
"After 3 years the native landscape is really coming into its own!" wrote the gardener in the caption.
The original poster touches on something that many gardeners struggle with: Native plants famously take longer to come in than exotic ones, which is part of the appeal of non-native options. However, their payoff is well worth the wait — and not just because you can get beautiful gardens like the one in the Reddit image.
Native plants flourish in their local climate, meaning the average local rainfall and sun is all they need to grow. And that means you don't need to worry about irrigation as much, which can help save water.
Native plants are also better at storing carbon (a polluting gas in the atmosphere that leads to rising temperatures) than exotic plants. All plants eventually release the carbon they store back into the environment. However, non-native plants do this roughly 2.5 times faster than native ones.
Additionally, native plants have deep root systems that are great at storing water for future droughts. Plus, going native with your lawn will mean a vibrant and diverse group of plants that some people (certainly the Redditors responding to the photo) find prettier than a regular lawn.
"Wow, beautiful! An inspiration to me as I embark on my native lawn journey" wrote one Redditor.
"Very nice! Great work👏" commented another Reddit user.
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